HR-10287-119
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Sponsored by Kim Schrier (D-WA)
What it does
This bill would increase authorized funding for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline partnership pilot program from $10 million to $100 million annually for fiscal years 2027 through 2029. It would also expand the Medicaid state option for community-based mobile crisis intervention services to permanently cover regional call center operations and crisis stabilization facilities at an enhanced 85% federal matching rate, removing the current 5-year time limit on the enhanced match, and appropriates $5 million for implementation.
Who benefits
People experiencing mental health or substance use crises and their families, especially Medicaid enrollees; state and local mental health crisis call centers and mobile crisis teams; crisis receiving and stabilization facilities that would gain a new Medicaid funding pathway; law enforcement and emergency medical personnel who could refer individuals to these facilities instead of jails or emergency rooms; states that would receive continued enhanced federal matching funds.
Who is hurt
Federal taxpayers who would bear the increased $100 million annual grant funding and expanded Medicaid matching costs; states that choose not to adopt the mobile crisis option would see no direct benefit while federal spending rises; hospital emergency departments could see reduced referrals and revenue if crisis facilities divert patients; states with limited existing crisis infrastructure may struggle to meet facility standards to qualify for the enhanced match.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that the 988 Lifeline has seen call volume increase dramatically since its 2022 launch and that current pilot funding of $10 million annually is insufficient to build out regional call center capacity nationwide. They contend that making the 85% Medicaid match for mobile crisis services permanent, rather than letting it expire after five years, gives states the certainty needed to invest in crisis receiving facilities that can divert people from emergency rooms and jails, citing the American Rescue Plan Act's original mobile crisis provision as evidence of the model's uptake by states.
Opponents argue
Opponents argue that a tenfold increase in grant funding to $100 million annually represents a significant and rapid federal spending commitment that should be justified with more rigorous outcome data before expansion, particularly since the pilot program was originally designed as a limited-duration test. They contend that removing the 5-year sunset on the enhanced Medicaid match locks in an open-ended federal spending obligation and shifts more healthcare cost burden onto federal taxpayers without a corresponding sunset review to confirm the program achieves its intended crisis-diversion outcomes.