New bipartisan bill seeks to increase effective mental health treatment with genetic testing

Medicaid-eligible patients may see improved access to effective mental health services with genetic testing.

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U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Tim Scott (R-SC) introduced a bipartisan bill that would help increase access to genetic testing for Medicaid-eligible patients. The genetic testing would be used for patients suffering with a mental health condition.

Genetic testing is thought to help reduce trial and error treatment selections for major depressive disorder and other mental health conditions, a spokesperson for Brown’s Office stated. Essentially, it may allow for more tuned, personalized treatment plans based on quantifiable genetic precursors.

“The bill would require the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide states with best practices to improve outcomes for Medicaid-eligible individuals,” the spokesperson said.

The introduction of this bill comes on the heel of surveys showing almost one-third of low-income Medicaid beneficiaries having depression as one of their diagnoses.

“Americans on Medicaid should be able to get the full treatment they need, informed by pharmacogenomic testing, where appropriate,” Brown stated. “Our bill gets us one step closer to closing this gap and improving outcomes for Americans with mental health diagnoses.”

“Patients with mental health disorders cannot afford the ‘trial and error’ approach when it comes to their medication,” Scott claimed. “Through better health coverage guidance, we can improve access to new precision diagnostic testing and better match patients to the best treatment for them.”

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