Baby boomers will likely face difficulties getting diagnoses and treatment for mental health conditions and substance abuse problems unless there is a major effort to significantly boost the number of health professionals and other service providers able to supply this care as the population ages, IOM said.
Among other action steps, IOM recommended a redesign of Medicare and Medicaid payment rules to guarantee coverage of services for treating mental health conditions and substance use problems. The group also recommended HHS promote and pay increased attention to this population health concern.
Read the IOM report on mental health in full here.
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