Seniors and others covered under Medicare could have a lot more options in the new year when it comes to mental health care, after Congress approved an expansion of mental health providers covered under the program.  

Come Jan. 1, licensed mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists will be eligible to work with Medicare patients for the first time.

When people age into Medicare coverage or become eligible because of a disability, that sometimes means leaving a trusted counselor behind. It’s happened a few times to Erin Schaefer’s clients. She practices marriage and family therapy in Ohio.

“That’s been devastating for people who’ve made a connection, perhaps stabilized in their symptoms and then have to have that kind of disruption to their services,” she said.

And finding a provider who can accept Medicare can be tough, according to Cornell health economist Beth McGinty.

“You are really limited in Medicare to psychiatrists and psychologists. There are shortages in many areas of the country for these groups,” she said.

This change will make some 400,000 providers, or 40% of the mental health workforce, eligible to bill the program.  

“It will approximately double the amount of mental health providers who your Medicare covers,” McGinty said.

It could also fill a critical gap in rural parts of the country, where one in three adults is enrolled in Medicare, according to the Census Bureau — and where psychiatrists and psychologists are in especially short supply.  

“So this really significantly changes the game,” said Blake Edwards with Columbia Valley Community Health in north central Washington, “in terms of our ability to hire for and expand capacity for our behavioral health services.”

In 2024, Edwards says eight of his clinic’s behavioral health providers will start accepting Medicare patients and help meet rapidly growing demand for mental health services.