Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2020
Journal Title
Policy, Politics, and Nursing Practice
First Page
1
Last Page
27
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1177/1527154420970928
Version
Post-print: the version of the article having undergone peer review but prior to being published
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a CC BY-NC-ND License.
Disciplines
Nursing
Abstract
Approximately 3.4% of Americans have a mental health condition and suicide is the 10th leading cause of death. While the rate of mental health conditions has slightly increased for adult populations, America’s youth has experienced a significant rise in depression. From 2008 to 2017, occurrence of depression in the adolescent population increased from 8.3% to 13.3%. As adolescents mature into adults; it is likely the rate of mental health conditions for the adult population will rise as well as it is the common thread that binds the “diseases of despair”: drug abuse, alcoholism and suicide.
Arising out of the deinstitutionalization movement of the 1960’s, the Medicaid IMD Exclusion Rule (§1905(a)(B) of the Social Security Act) prohibits reimbursement for Medicaid recipients ages 21 to 64 years receiving inpatient care at a psychiatric hospital with 16 or more beds. Consequently, the rule limits payment for psychiatric treatment to general hospitals and smaller, non-specialized centers, which blocks patients from receiving inpatient care, and transfers the financial burden of care onto psychiatric hospitals.
The IMD Rule is approaching its 55th anniversary. It requires re-evaluation. Although a state waiver process is available, use of this option has the potential to increase the incidence of racial and ethnic disparities across states. Full repeal of the IMD Exclusion Rule could help provide immediate access to inpatient care that is consistent nationwide and be a vital step toward creating financial, treatment and ethical parity for mental health services.
Digital USD Citation
DuBose, Briony Marie MHI, RN, LSS BB and Fry-Bowers, Eileen K. PhD, JD, RN, CPNP, FAAN, "Achieving Access Parity for Inpatient Psychiatric Care Requires Repealing the Medicaid Institutions for Mental Disease Exclusion Rule" (2020). School of Nursing and Health Science: Faculty Scholarship. 31.
https://digital.sandiego.edu/nursing_facpub/31
Notes
Original publication information:
DuBose, B. M. & Fry-Bowers, E. K. (2020). Achieving Access Parity for Inpatient Psychiatric Care Requires Repealing the Medicaid Institutions for Mental Disease Exclusion Rule. Policy, Politics, and Nursing Practice, 1-27. https://doi.org/10.1177/1527154420970928.