Dear Association Executives - This weekend, Congress passed and President Biden signed a six-bill government spending package, or appropriations "minibus" for Fiscal Year 2024.
Notably, this package contains several key mental health and substance use disorder policy provisions that:
- Include the Certified Community Behavioral Health definition under Medicaid.
- Include $10M for the Crisis Stabilization and Community Reentry Grants program under the Department of Justice.
- Permanently allow state Medicaid option for treatment of substance use disorder at a residential or inpatient levels of care.
- Permanently require states' Medicaid plans to cover medication-assisted treatment.
- Address barriers to promote continuity of care and Medicaid coverage for beneficiaries who have been incarcerated.
- Require the Department of Health and Human Services to issue guidance to states regarding opportunities to improve the availability and provision of mental health and substance use disorder services in Medicaid and CHIP and directs this guidance to include integration strategies, which may include the collaborative care model and the behavioral health model for behavioral health integration.
- Delay the Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital cuts through December 31, 2024.
Congress has until March 22nd to pass the rest of the appropriations bills, including the Labor-Health and Human Services-Education appropriations bill.
Please let me or Katherine Seibel, Manager, Federal and Regulatory Activities (KatherineS@thenationalcouncuil.org) know if you have questions or if any additional information would be helpful.
Thank you –
Reyna
Reyna Taylor
Senior Vice President, Public Policy and Advocacy
ReynaT@thenationalcouncil.org
Direct – 202-774-1651
------------------------------
Neal Comstock
Director of Membership
National Council
NealC@TheNationalCouncil.org202 748-8793
------------------------------