Reps. Chu, Smith Introduce Bipartisan PEERS in Medicare Act to Bolster Mental Health Care
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep Judy Chu (CA-28) and Adrian Smith (NE-03) reintroduced the bipartisan PEERS Act to expand access to peer support services for seniors. The Promoting Effective and Empowering Recovery Services (PEERS) in Medicare Act would require Medicare to cover peer support services provided at rural health clinics, federally qualified health centers, community mental health centers, and certified community behavioral health clinics. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (NV) and Bill Cassidy, M.D. (LA) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. Senate.
A peer support specialist is a person with “lived experience” who has been trained to support those who struggle with mental health, psychological trauma, or substance use. Peer support specialists do not take the place of mental health practitioners like physicians, psychologists, or social workers. Instead, they supplement these professionals as part of a larger care team to help someone struggling with substance abuse or mental health disorders on the road to recovery. Peer support services help reduce hospitalizations and behavioral crises, improve management of co-occurring physical conditions, help restore relationships and social connection, and ultimately save lives.
“Since my first job out of college with the Asian American Drug Abuse Program, I’ve fought for approaches to mental health and substance abuse that not only include prevention and treatment but recovery as well,” said Rep. Chu. “That is why I am leading this bill with Rep. Smith once again, because we want to help bolster the recovery care workforce in our country and expand peer support for Medicare recipients—to offer acceptance, understanding, and validation not found in many other professional relationships. By sharing their own lived experience and practical guidance, peer support workers help people to develop their own goals, create strategies for self‐empowerment, and take concrete steps towards building fulfilling, self‐determined lives for themselves.”
“One of the greatest mental health care challenges in our state and across rural regions of the United States is the shortage of professional mental health providers,” said Rep. Smith. “This bill would address this shortage by increasing access to trained and certified peer support specialists with a related or comparable diagnosis. Increasing access to peer support specialists has proven to be a low-cost, high-impact mental health care treatment option, especially in areas with limited or no access to traditional providers. I am glad to co-lead this bipartisan legislation. I thank Rep. Chu for her cooperation and will continue working on bettering mental health in our country.”
“Peer support meets people where they are, offering lifesaving care and connection for people with substance use disorders and mental health conditions,” said Caren Howard, Mental Health America Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy. “Expanding coverage of peer support services in community-based settings fills critical gaps in the health care system, empowering people to access effective, person-centered care that is close to home.”
This legislation expands on a provision led by Reps. Chu and Smith that was included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 that recognizes peer support specialists in Medicare as part of interdisciplinary integrated care teams and mobile crisis teams.
The PEERS in Medicare Act is endorsed by Mental Health America, the National Association of Rural Health Clinics, the National Association of Rural Mental Health, Faces and Voices of Recovery, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
