Fact Sheet: An Act addressing barriers to care for mental health

This fact sheet examines the provisions in An Act addressing barriers to care for mental health (Chapter 177 of the Acts of 2022) that will fundamentally transform the Commonwealth's behavioral health system to better meet the needs of individual, families, and communities.

Chapter 177 of the Acts of 2022 will address a broad range of behavioral health issues, including emergency department boarding, low reimbursement rates for behavioral health providers, lack of insurance coverage for certain behavioral health services, and the demand for school-based behavioral health services. The law also will support ongoing initiatives, such as implementation of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services’ (EOHHS) Roadmap for Behavioral Health Reform and the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.