Fund mobile crisis intervention
Recommendation
Congress should make permanent the recent increase to the Medicaid federal matching rate for mobile crisis team response services, originally passed in the American Rescue Plan Act in March 2021.[1]
Background/summary
Mobile crisis teams (MCTs) are trained health professionals who can provide on-site crisis assistance to people experiencing mental health or substance use disorder (MH/SUD) crises. MCTs can help reduce the reliance on law enforcement and emergency departments and provide more appropriate and effective care for people experiencing a crisis.[2] However, not all states have adequate funding or infrastructure to implement MCTs in their communities.[3] The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021 increased investments in MCTs by authorizing federal Medicaid matching funds for community-based mobile crisis response services. Under this option, states that provide qualifying mobile crisis services under their Medicaid programs will receive an enhanced federal matching rate of 85 percent for the first three years of implementation.[4] The existing option provides a significant incentive and opportunity for states to expand their MCTs and improve their behavioral health crisis response systems. By making the enhanced matching rate for MCTs permanent in Medicaid, Congress will help states grow sustainable MCTs into the fabric of their MH/SUD emergency response.
citations
1. NAMI. "Crisis Response." NAMI Reimagine Crisis Response. (n.d.)
2. IACP, and UC Center for Police Research and Policy. "Assessing the Impact of Mobile Crisis Teams: A Review of Research." (n.d.)
3. Saunders, Heather, Madeline Guth, and Nirmita Panchal. "Behavioral Health Crisis Response: Findings from a Survey of State Medicaid Programs." Kaiser Family Foundation. Last Updated May 25, 2023.
4. Musumeci, MaryBeth. "Medicaid Provisions in the American Rescue Plan Act." Kaiser Family Foundation. Last Updated March 18, 2021.