Advocates push for Medicaid reform to expand psychiatric bed access

The Treatment Advocacy Center (TAC) is actively seeking federal co‐sponsors for H.R. 5462, also known as the Michelle Alyssa Go Act , a bipartisan bill aimed at addressing critical gaps in the nation's mental health infrastructure, according to a TAC news release. TAC is asking advocates to send emails to their federal legislators, to ask them to consider signing on as co‐sponsors. The legislation, introduced in September, was filed by Rep. Daniel S. Goldman and presented to the House. It currently has eight co‐sponsors. The bill would amend the Medicaid statute to allow federal reimbursement for inpatient psychiatric and substance use disorder treatment in facilities with 36 beds or fewer, provided they meet nationally recognized, evidence‐based standards of care. Currently, the Medicaid “Institution for Mental Diseases” (IMD) exclusion prohibits federal funding for adult inpatient care in facilities with more than 16 beds. Advocates argue that this decades‐old policy has contributed to a shortage of treatment options, forcing individuals with serious mental illness into cycles of hospitalization, incarceration or homelessness. The bill is named in honor of Michelle Alyssa Go, a 40‐year‐old woman who was fatally struck by a New York City subway train after being pushed by a man experiencing untreated schizophrenia, according to a news release from Rep. Goldman's office. If enacted, H.R. 5462 would take effect 180 days after becoming law and apply to state Medicaid plans thereafter. Supporters say the measure would help alleviate emergency room backlogs, reduce jail admissions for individuals in crisis and promote more equitable access to care for low‐income populations.