A Mixed‐Methods Analysis of Medicare‐Enrolled Mental Health Counselors’ Professional Characteristics and Experiences With Enrollment

ABSTRACT

After becoming eligible to enroll as Medicare providers in 2024, over 60,000 mental health professionals enrolled in Medicare. We surveyed 384 Medicare‐enrolled mental health counselors licensed in 24 states and used a convergent‐parallel mixed‐methods design to examine their professional characteristics, the impact of Medicare participation on their caseloads, reasons for enrollment, and concerns about Medicare participation. Respondents were especially motivated by wanting to expand older adults’ access to mental health services and support people in their communities. Primary concerns were reimbursement rates and staying compliant with Medicare policies. We used a summary thematic analysis to clarify these and other motivators and concerns. Notably, respondents projected a 64.9% increase in the number of older adults served 1 year in the future compared to the number served prior to Medicare enrollment. Implications for counseling practice, policy, and research are discussed.