Private Medicare, Medicaid plans exaggerate in-network mental health options, watchdogs say

[Silent Type]

4. Good to see this report and recommendations. Unfortunately, it ain't much better on Traditional Medicare.

Though a bit better. I think the real problem is a big chunk of behavioral specialists prefer to charge patients directly.


"Between the two programs, there was generally more availability and shorter wait times for those covered by Medicaid:
43% of providers were not available to take on patients with Traditional Medicare,
53% could not take on Medicare Advantage patients,
44% couldn’t take on adults with Medicaid while 42% couldn’t take on children with Medicaid."


https://bhbusiness.com/2025/07/02/45-of-behavioral-health-providers-not-taking-medicare-medicaid-patients/


I have worked with large behavorial health practices that do mostly Medicaid. They get paid less than Medicare or MA (as much as 50% less in some states), but I think they enjoy it a lot more than the money oriented groups that shun Medicaid. Just a personal observation.