Michigan Brain Injury Provider Council Applauds Federal Recognition of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) as a Chronic Condition
The addition by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will be effective for the January 2025 plan year
BRIGHTON, Mich.—(July 31, 2024)—The Michigan Brain Injury Provider Council (MBIPC) today applauded federal recognition of traumatic brain injury (TBI) as a chronic condition, noting this development as a major step forward for the brain injury community.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) this year has added TBI to its list of chronic conditions for chronic special needs plans (C-SNPs) through its Medicare Advantage program, a move that will be effective beginning with the January 2025 plan year.
“This is extremely important news for the brain injury community,” said Tom Judd, MBIPC executive director. “Recognizing brain injury as a chronic health condition should open the door for more holistic and appropriate health care coverage for post-acute brain injury rehabilitation and long-term care. There are significant gaps in Michigan, including lack of coverage in commercial health care and a long-term Medicaid waiver program specifically designed for the unique needs of people living with a brain injury. This classification by CMS will help in our advocacy to close those gaps and ensure early and equitable access to care.”
The Brain Injury Association of America published a position paper earlier this year calling for CMS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to designate brain injury as a chronic condition. The paper stated that this designation would help increase access to care, increase the allocation of public health resources to research the long-term effects of brain injury, and raise public awareness of the long-term effects of brain injury. An estimated 2.8 million Americans sustain a traumatic brain injury every year, and more than 5 million people live with a permanent brain injury-related disability.
“This is an important first step in our fight to expand coverage for brain injury beyond acute care and helps us to make our case that brain injury should be treated by healthcare providers as a chronic condition like heart disease or diabetes,” said Rick Willis, president and CEO of the Brain Injury Association of America, in a release.
###
Members of the Michigan Brain Injury Provider Council are committed to providing high quality, ethical rehabilitation services, with the mission of achieving the best outcomes for patients. As a trade association established in 1987 and based in Brighton, Michigan, MBIPC offers resource-sharing, information exchange, professional development and education, advocacy for brain injury standards of care and legislation protecting Michigan families, and the promotion of ethical conduct. For more information, go to mbipc.org, and connect with MBIPC on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
