Grassroots Action Center
URGENT: Medicare's Hidden Mental Health Crisis Needs Your Voice
Medicare's 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospital care represents an unfair policy that affects individuals with mental illness. This arbitrary cap—which doesn’t exist for any other medical condition—forces vulnerable individuals out of specialized treatment before they’re stable, often leading to tragic consequences.
The Crisis:
Over 60 million Americans rely on Medicare, including millions with mental health conditions.
The 190-day limit applies only to psychiatric hospitals, not general hospital psychiatric units.
People with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, and substance use often exceed this limit over their lifetime.
When specialized care ends prematurely, patients end up in emergency rooms, jails, or on the streets.
Why This Matters:
Unlike private insurance, Medicare isn’t subject to mental health parity laws. This creates a two-tiered system in which older adults and people with disabilities face unique barriers to mental health treatment. The policy costs taxpayers more in the long run through increased emergency services and incarceration.
Take Action Now:
Contact your representatives and senators immediately. Urge them to support H.R. 4619, the Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act of 2025, eliminating Medicare's harmful 190-day psychiatric hospital limit. Mental health conditions deserve the same treatment coverage as physical illnesses.
Eliminating the 190-day lifetime limit is consistent with the recent recommendations of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) and will have a minimal cost impact on the Medicare program or federal budget. But eliminating the limit will ensure that this particularly vulnerable population can continue to receive the most appropriate care they need to effectively treat their mental health conditions.
Your voice can save lives.
