Senate passes bill aimed at improving mental health access

JUNEAU – The Alaska Senate today unanimously passed a bill to improve access to mental health services for Alaskans.

Under current rules, a mental health professional in a behavioral health clinic must have a supervising psychiatrist physically present at least 30 percent of the time in order to bill Medicaid for their services. SB 169 changes these rules by allowing any physician to supervise mental health providers, either in person or with a communication device.

“Some patients are forced to wait up to two years to receive mental health services,” said Sen. Cathy Giessel (R-Anchorage), the bill’s sponsor. “That is completely unacceptable. While patients wait, their conditions can worsen, leading to negative outcomes including depression, criminal activity, and even death.”

Alaska’s suicide rate is more than twice the national average, child maltreatment is nearly twice the national average, and two-thirds of adults in Alaska have suffered two or more adverse childhood experiences. Despite these facts, Alaska is home to less than half the number of mental health providers per capita when compared to the national average, and the existing regulation has further limited access to mental health care. Only a few clinics can accept clients for mental health services and bill Medicaid.

“With health care services expanding in Alaska via the use of telemedicine, particularly in rural areas, the removal of this barrier opens doors to expand needed behavioral health care treatments to many more Alaskans,” said Sen. Giessel. “The ability to take advantage of telemedicine in SB 169 will allow more behavioral health providers to offer their services, bill Medicaid, and hopefully get them treated on the front end, which costs less than emergency rooms or hospitals.”

SB 169 is now on its way to the Alaska House of Representatives for consideration.