Reps. Kiggans and Davis Reintroduce Bipartisan Bill to Expand Access to Mental Health Services for Seniors and Vulnerable Americans

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, Congresswoman Jen Kiggans (VA-02) and Congressman Danny Davis (IL-07) announced the reintroduction of the Integrating Social Workers Across Health Care Settings Act, bipartisan legislation to expand Medicare coverage for proactive mental health services provided by Clinical Social Workers (CSWs).

CSWs are the largest group of mental health providers in the U.S., uniquely trained to treat mental illness while addressing social factors like food insecurity and transportation limitations. Yet under current Medicare rules, CSWs can only bill for treatment of already diagnosed conditions—limiting their ability to provide preventive care. Nearly 30% of Medicare beneficiaries live with a mental health disorder, costing the program over $8 billion annually. Expanding CSWs’ ability to deliver early interventions would improve outcomes, reduce hospitalizations, and lower long-term costs.

“As a geriatric nurse practitioner, I’ve seen firsthand the challenges seniors face when it comes to accessing timely, quality mental health care,” said Congresswoman Kiggans. “Clinical Social Workers are uniquely trained to address not only mental health issues but the social and economic factors that often go unaddressed in traditional care settings—things like housing insecurity or lack of transportation. This bipartisan bill is a commonsense step to expand access to care, reduce long-term costs, and make sure seniors get the support they need before a crisis occurs.”

“This legislation would reduce long-term Medicare spending and improve patient outcomes by allowing licensed clinical social workers to do preventative mental health care,” said Congressman Davis. “Preventing these crises is crucial to keeping costs down and ensuring patients have optimal health outcomes, and the underutilized CSW workforce is in the ideal position to help our healthcare system reap these benefits.”

This bill is endorsed by:
Coalition to Transform Advanced Care
National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation
Crossroads4Hope; A Network of Cancer Support
Clinical Social Work Association
Association of Oncology Social Workers
New Jersey Palliative Care Advance Practice Consortium
Council on Social Work Education
Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies
Society for Social Work Leadership in Health Care
American Nephrology Nurses Association
National Alliance for Caregiving
American Society on Aging
National Association of Social Workers
National Association of Social Workers
Region IV Area Agency on Aging
Social Work Hospice and Palliative Care Network (SWHPN)
Eldercare Workforce Alliance
Partners in Care Foundation
RUSH
Coalition for Social Work and Health

You can find the full text of this bill here.
You can find a one pager on this bill here.

Background:

• A 2020 study found that 30% of Medicare beneficiaries have a mental health disorder.
• Mental health disorders result in significantly higher spending when compared to other conditions.
• Clinical Social Workers are the largest providers of mental health services in the United States, but are currently unable to be paid for these services.
• Allowing CSWs to fully practice within their scope and receive reimbursements will enable them to treat mental health issues before they become a crisis, saving taxpayer dollars and patient lives.

Specifically, this legislation would:

• Amend the Social Security Act to allow Clinical Social Workers to bill Medicare for their services within their existing state scope of practice.
• Strike the statement that Clinical Social Workers can only bill for diagnostic/treatment services and include all services related to mental health treatment.