Shaheen Applauds Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Decision to Offer Medicare Coverage for Digital Mental Health Treatment Devices, Modeled After Their Bipartisan Legislation

**Shaheen's bipartisan Access to Prescription Digital Therapeutics Act of 2023 laid the groundwork for proposed rule expanding Medicare coverage**

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) is applauding the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule, which would establish Medicare coverage for digital mental health treatment (DMHT) devices and was modeled after the Senator’s bipartisan Access to Prescription Digital Therapeutics Act of 2023. The new CMS proposed rule expands Medicare beneficiaries’ previously limited access to DMHT devices, making it easier for clinicians to help combat the ongoing mental health and substance use crises. The rule incorporates key provisions from Shaheen and U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito’s (R-WV) Access to Prescription Digital Therapeutics Act of 2023, which expands Medicare coverage to include software-based disease treatments designed to directly treat disease. 

“By incorporating parts of our bipartisan legislation into this new CMS rule, we are taking a crucial step towards combatting the mental health and addiction epidemics felt in New Hampshire and across the country,” said Shaheen. “I’m proud to have worked on this with Senator Capito because no matter age, location or means, every American should have access to the mental health services they need.” 

Senator Shaheen has long led Senate initiatives to strengthen and expand access to telehealth in New Hampshire and across the country. In June 2021, Shaheen helped lead bipartisan legislation, the Protecting Rural Telehealth Access Act, which would ensure Medicare patients can continue to have access to the services and consultations that they need and patients in rural areas without access to broadband will still be able to utilize audio-only and phone-based visits with their doctors. Shaheen has also worked to increase access to substance use treatment in New Hampshire. She recently led the state’s congressional delegation in fighting for $29,880,604 in State Opioid Response (SOR) grants directed to New Hampshire in the government funding legislation for fiscal year (FY) 2024.  

Shaheen has also been instrumental in securing record investments in mental health for the Granite State. 

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