Sens. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., and Jim Justice, R-W.Va., introduced bipartisan legislation to remove prior authorization requirements for medication-assisted treatment under Medicaid. The proposed No Red Tape for Addiction Treatment Act would require all state Medicaid programs to cover at least…
Government & Regulation
Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., has reintroduced the Repealing the IMD Exclusion Act, a bill aimed at eliminating a federal Medicaid restriction on coverage for inpatient mental health and substance use disorder treatment. The bill would repeal the Institutions for Mental…
The Virginia Court of Appeals upheld Nashville, Tenn.-based Newport Healthcare’s legal right to operate residential treatment homes in Leesburg, Va., for young adults with mental health disorders. The court ruled that Newport’s licensed group homes qualify as single-family detached dwellings…
Art Kleinschmidt, PhD, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, is departing his role for another position within the administration, HHS officials confirmed to Becker’s on Dec. 12. Christopher Carroll, SAMHSA’s Deputy Assistant Secretary,…
Bipartisan legislation introduced in the Senate would establish a permanent funding structure under Medicare for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics. The Ensuring Excellence in Mental Health Act, introduced by John Cornyn, R-Texas, Tina Smith, D-Minn., Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Catherine…
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The Department of Housing and Urban Development has temporarily paused a policy change that would redirect support from permanent housing toward transitional housing and move most funding into a nationally competitive pool, Politico reported Dec. 8. Two lawsuits — one…
Nearly 800 mental health patients in Malheur County, Ore., will lose access to their current behavioral health providers, effective Jan. 1, under a new Medicaid policy from Greater Oregon Behavioral Health, KTVB7 reported Dec. 4. The policy change will require…
A poll from Arlington, Va.-based National Alliance on Mental Illness found that most Americans strongly oppose recent federal cuts to behavioral health programs and want Congress to make mental health funding a priority. The NAMI/lpsos poll was conducted Nov. 7-9,…
President Donald Trump signed a bill Dec. 1 reauthorizing and revising HHS programs addressing substance use disorder prevention, treatment and recovery for fiscal years 2026 through 2030, according to a Dec. 1 White House news release. The SUPPORT for Patients…
The Trump administration’s policies regarding homelessness have shifted away from prevention strategies, like the Housing First model promoted by the National Alliance to End Homelessness, and toward a “treatment-first” approach, calling for increased involuntary commitment nationwide. The system — which…