HR-10280-119
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Armed Services, Veterans' Affairs, Oversight and Government Reform, and Education and Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Sponsored by Doris Matsui (D-CA)
What it does
This bill would authorize hundreds of millions to over a billion dollars in new funding for 988 crisis call centers, mobile crisis teams, crisis stabilization facilities, and behavioral health workforce training. It would also require Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, TRICARE, veterans' programs, federal employee health plans, and private group and individual health insurance to cover "crisis response services," revise the Medicaid Institutions for Mental Diseases (IMD) exclusion for crisis facilities, and create a federal panel to develop 911/988 dispatcher training and data standards.
Who benefits
People experiencing mental health or substance use crises and their families; crisis call centers, mobile crisis teams, and crisis stabilization facilities that would receive new grants and reimbursement; behavioral health workers and trainees eligible for new workforce funding; Medicaid/Medicare/CHIP/TRICARE/VA/FEHB beneficiaries who would gain guaranteed coverage of crisis services; states that adopt the enhanced federal matching funds for mobile crisis and stabilization services.
Who is hurt
Private insurers, group health plans, and employers who would bear new mandatory coverage costs for crisis response services, potentially passed on as higher premiums; states that must administer new Medicaid mandates and reporting requirements, particularly those with limited existing crisis infrastructure; federal taxpayers, given the multi-billion-dollar authorization levels; facilities that do not meet the specific "crisis receiving and stabilization facility" criteria and may be excluded from favorable IMD treatment or reimbursement.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that suicide is a leading cause of death among young Americans and that call volume to the 988 line has surged since its 2022 launch, straining local call centers that need funding to hire and train staff. They contend that guaranteeing insurance coverage for crisis response services and easing the Medicaid IMD exclusion for crisis facilities would close long-standing gaps that force people in crisis into emergency rooms or jails rather than appropriate psychiatric care.
Opponents argue
Opponents argue that mandating coverage of a broadly defined new benefit category across Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance could raise premiums and administrative costs without established payment methodologies, since the bill leaves the Secretary broad discretion to set payment rates later. They contend that the multi-billion-dollar authorization levels and new federal panel add to federal spending and administrative complexity at a time when program costs are already a concern, and that states face new compliance burdens even where Medicaid legislative delays are permitted.