Like most of us, my life has had its ups and downs, starting with my early childhood. I used to joke and say that when my mom gave birth to me, I was already wearing a pair of glasses. The truth is, I can’t remember a time when glasses or contact lenses were not part of my daily attire. Back then, I wore super thick lenses supported by big round frames (aka “coke bottle glasses”), which made me an easy target for bullies. Despite the constant fear of verbal and physical abuse, I never told a soul about what I was going through. I didn’t even tell my parents who were struggling with their own demons --- including alcoholism, anxiety, depression, and having to raise me and my three older siblings. 

I think I was around 5 years old when I learned my severely compromised vision was a result of being nearsighted, combined with a “wandering” eye, which is also referred to as a “lazy” or “wall eye.” Because of this, I was forced to sit in the first row of the classroom just so I could read the blackboard. Unfortunately, having a front row seat did little to solve my extremely short attention span (which, I’d later find out, was a result of having ADHD).

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Leading mental health organizations, including the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD), Mental Health America (MHA), the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA), the National Association of Peer Supporters (NAPS) and the Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness (ABHW), strongly support new bipartisan legislation introduced in the Senate by Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) to provide Medicare coverage of peer support services for individuals with mental health or substance use disorders who are being treated in primary care and receiving integrated behavioral health services. The bill clarifies that nothing in the Medicare statute prohibits peer support specialists from providing services billed as part of integrated behavioral health. It specifies that peer support specialists’ services may be billed under the collaborative care and other behavioral health integration codes in Medicare. This bill is companion legislation to H.R. 2767 in the House of Representatives introduced by Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA) and Rep. Adrian Smith (R-NE).

Peer support specialists are people with lived experience of a mental health or substance use disorder who have completed specialized training and are certified to deliver support services under appropriate state or national certification standards. This legislation provides the first comprehensive definition of peer support specialists in federal Medicare law. Peer support specialists assist individuals in achieving their recovery goals by furnishing emotional, informational, and other support services to individuals who have been diagnosed with a mental illness -- including dementia -- or a substance use disorder.

This legislation recognizes the unique role of peer support specialists as they complement therapists, case managers, and physicians as part of a coordinated team. Peer support promotes recovery by helping individuals better engage in services, manage physical and mental health conditions, build support systems, and, ultimately, live self-directed lives in their communities. 

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