988 System

Congress should require the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to establish a single global payment under the Physician Fee Schedule for mobile crisis response team services for Medicare beneficiaries experiencing a mental health or substance use disorder (MH/SUD) crisis. A bipartisan group of Senate Finance Committee members has supported this important step.[1]

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) should develop culturally competent guidelines for mental health and substance use service providers[1], particularly those serving predominantly underserved communities—particularly Black/African American; Hispanic/Latino; Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander; American Indian and Alaska Native; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex(LGBTQI+) communities[2][3]—through inclusive and responsive community engagement.

Congress should expand funding the eligibility criteria for national and state loan repayment programs to include bachelor-level social workers, health and human services providers, and certified drug and alcohol counselors, while also expanding service delivery location sites to include more home, school, and community-based settings.[1]

Congress should pass a 10 percent set-aside for crisis services in the Mental Health Block Grant to address gaps in vital crisis services across the United States. At present, the set-aside stands at 5 percent, which falls short of effectively meeting the growing demand for mental health support, including in moments of mental health and substance use disorder (MH/SUD) emergencies.

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]

Congress should incentivize states to expand their capacity to provide mental health and substance use disorder (MH/SUD) services under Medicaid, which will improve equity. For example, Congress should authorize a planning grant or demonstration program to provide participating state Medicaid programs with additional federal funding to expand or improve the capacity of MH/SUD participating providers.[1]