President Donald Trump signed an executive order promoting involuntary civil commitment as a solution to crime linked to homelessness across the country, framing it as a public safety crisis, according to a July 24 White House news release. Here are…
Government & Regulation
A bipartisan pair of lawmakers have reintroduced legislation to remove lifetime limits on inpatient psychiatric care for Medicare beneficiaries. U.S. Reps. Paul Tonko, D-N.Y., and Bill Huizenga, R-Mich., reintroduced the Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act July 22, according to…
California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has finalized new regulations requiring insurers to cover medically necessary mental health and substance use treatments. The new regulations follow two laws enacted by California in 2020 and 2022, respectively, that aim to improve access…
The Trump administration has delayed — and could cancel — $140 million in grants Congress approved to support a CDC overdose prevention program, NPR reported July 16. CDC staffers told NPR on condition of anonymity the administration has paused funding…
CMS is proposing adding additional billing codes for integrated behavioral services and reimbursing additional digital mental health options in 2026. The agency published its proposed physician fee schedule for 2026 July 14. CMS is proposing an overall 3.6% bump in…
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HHS will bar immigrants without legal citizenship status from accessing many federal mental health and substance use disorder programs. In a July 10 news release, the agency said it will exclude undocumented individuals from federal public benefit programs. Previously, immigrants…
Palmer, Alaska-based Mat-Su Regional Medical Center is planning to build a $75M freestanding behavioral health facility, Frontiersman reported July 10. The 45-bed facility will include 27 adult beds and 18 adolescent beds. Mat-Su Regional Medical Center has submitted a certificate…
New York has implemented new regulations for insurers designed to improve access to mental health services. According to a July 8 news release from New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, the regulations took effect July 1 for Medicaid plans. For commercial…
Mental health providers and advocacy organizations are warning steep cuts to Medicaid will harm access to behavioral health services. On July 4, President Donald Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act into law. The sprawling spending package will cut…
Despite recent Senate passage of the Big Beautiful Bill Act, which, among other things, seeks to reduce behavioral healthcare spending, state lawmakers are expanding access to mental healthcare and investing in behavioral health workforces. Here are six state mental health…