Mental health care for seniors is a growing concern, yet many Medicare patients live in 'provider deserts' where no local therapists accept their insurance. Currently, the reimbursement rates for non-physician mental health providers are so low that some providers actually lose money by seeing Medicare patients. If this bill becomes law, the increased pay could stabilize the mental health workforce and ensure that reaching age 65 doesn't mean losing access to a long-term therapist.

Without this change, the gap between the demand for mental health care and the number of providers willing to accept Medicare is expected to widen. This leads to longer wait times for therapy and increased reliance on emergency rooms for mental health crises, which is more expensive for taxpayers and worse for patient health.