AHA-supported bill would repeal discriminatory Medicare policy

The AHA today expressed support for the Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act, a bill that would eliminate the 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospital services for Medicare patients.

"As the nation's population ages and an increasing number of seniors and people with disabilities seek inpatient care to address their behavioral health needs, now is the time to repeal this discriminatory policy and ensure that Medicare beneficiaries can receive necessary inpatient psychiatric care," the AHA wrote in comments to the bill's sponsors, Reps. Paul Tonko, D-N.Y., Bill Huizenga, R-Mich., Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, and Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa.