Behavioral Health
Behavioral health is a major public health issue in the District of Columbia. Sadly, many of the legislative and regulatory initiatives around behavioral health are tied to other public health concerns, such as opioid addiction, maternal mortality, and health equity.
In partnership with the Washington Psychiatric Society, AMA, and American Psychiatric Association (APA), MSDC works to ensure that patients receive appropriate support for behavioral health issues, that the practice of psychiatry is supported in the District, and that psychiatrists are available to patients in the District.
MSDC was a proud supporter of the Behavioral Health Parity Act of 2017, which enshrined into law that all health plans offered by an insurance carrier meet federal requirements of the Wellstone/Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008.
MSDC Statements and Testimony of Behavioral Health Issues
25th Council period information coming soon
Fed's Prior Auth Reforms Mirror DC Law
CMS's announcement yesterday of new reforms to the Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and Affordable Care Act plans' prior authorization rules are a huge step in reducing physician paperwork burden. They also mirror legislation passed by DC and supported by MSDC last year.
Among other changes, the new rules would require coverage for urgent treatments within 72 hours and seven day for non-urgent treatments. Insurers will also need to publicize prior authorization denial rates and justifications for denials. Changes will mostly be in place by 2026. However, the changes do not apply to all drug prescriptions.
These reforms were similar to those included in then-B25-124, the Prior Authorization Reform Amendment Act. That legislation applied to the private insurance market and (as of February) implements shorter turnaround times, more insurer disclosures and reporting, and more protections for patients' treatments from process abuse. The DC law did require funding in the District budget to apply to Medicaid and Alliance programs, although it is unclear how the new CMS requirements change this calculus.
Sample of Legislation MSDC is Tracking in Behavioral Health
(see the whole list of bills here)
What does it do? The bill requires licensed health providers to complete 2 hours of CME on suicide prevention, assessment, and screening.
MSDC position: MSDC opposes the bill as written as the language does not encourage physician wellbeing or sufficient awareness of suicide prevention.
Current status: The bill had a hearing with the Committee on Health on June 10.