HHS and the Senate Finance Committee Focus Efforts on Behavioral Health

Congress and the Administration remain focused on mental health and substance use. Last week, HHS released the Roadmap for Behavioral Health Integration – this report highlights the administration’s efforts to address the nation’s behavioral health crisis through integration. The report highlights that CMS will, among other things, authorize Medicaid coverage of inter-professional consultations, test integrated payment models in Medicaid, and launch a new 1115 opportunity to support reentry from incarceration.

The U.S. Senate Finance Committee also released a discussion draft of legislation aimed at strengthening the behavioral health workforce (summary). Notably, the draft includes policies that would: (1) create a new demonstration for Medicaid programs to expand their networks of behavioral health providers; and (2) require HHS to issue Medicaid strategic guidance to increase provider education, recruitment, and retention, and improve workforce capacity in rural and underserved areas.