Expand the Behavioral Health Workforce Now Act

Expand the Behavioral Health Workforce Now Act

This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to issue guidance for states on ways to increase education, training, recruitment, and retention of mental health and substance use disorder providers under Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), particularly in rural and underserved areas.

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7619 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7619

To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to issue guidance 
  to States on strategies under Medicaid and CHIP to increase mental 
 health and substance use disorder care provider education, training, 
                      recruitment, and retention.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 11, 2024

 Mr. Neguse (for himself and Mr. Zinke) introduced the following bill; 
       which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to issue guidance 
  to States on strategies under Medicaid and CHIP to increase mental 
 health and substance use disorder care provider education, training, 
                      recruitment, and retention.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Expand the Behavioral Health 
Workforce Now Act''.

SEC. 2. GUIDANCE TO STATES ON STRATEGIES UNDER MEDICAID AND CHIP TO 
              INCREASE MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER CARE 
              PROVIDER EDUCATION, TRAINING, RECRUITMENT, AND RETENTION.

    Not later than 12 months after the date of enactment of this Act, 
the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall issue guidance to 
States on strategies under Medicaid and CHIP to increase education, 
training, recruitment, and retention of mental health and substance use 
disorder care providers that participate in Medicaid or CHIP, with a 
focus on improving the capacity of the mental health and substance use 
disorder care workforce in rural and underserved areas. Such guidance 
shall include, and not be limited to, strategies on how States may 
utilize waivers under section 1115 of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1315) and authorities under titles XIX and XXI of such Act (42 
U.S.C. 1396 et seq., 1397aa et seq.) for such purposes.
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