In a move to address health equity, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today released the 2024 Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters proposed rule designed to expand accessibility of coverage and broaden behavioral health care access for millions of individuals in 2024. Proponents of the rule are applauding the ways in which it would expand health care services and reduce barriers to medical and wellness options, particularly for historically underrepresented and marginalized populations.
Among the significant new components contained in the rule is the inclusion of two new essential community provider (ECP) categories that would facilitate the delivery of much needed health care services; namely, mental health facilities and substance use disorder treatment centers.
Two additional ECP categories that would be impacted by the rule’s changes are family planning providers and federally qualified health centers, both of which would be eligible for an extension of the current overall thirty-five percent provider participation limits.
Another measure in the proposed rules seeking to improve health equity is the enablement of assisters to engage in door-to-door enrollment initiatives and would further allow them to provide enrollment assistance even during the initial meeting at an individuals residence, which previously was not permissible.
Given the extent to which the rule changes could help reduce health inequities, it is being watched closely as a means to make material strides in health equity in the years to come.
A summary of today’s notice release can be accessed here.
