YourVoice.Now Summary
Workers & JobsAdvice only — states would get nonbinding federal tips on growing the mental health workforce, with no new money.
Workers & Jobs
The health department would have to tell states how to train, hire, and keep mental health and addiction care providers who take Medicaid or CHIP. The bill calls the advice non-mandatory, and no money comes with it.
More about this bill
Nothing in your own care or costs would change right away. Within 12 months, the federal health department would send states advice on growing the mental health and addiction care workforce. The advice would cover training, hiring, and keeping providers who take Medicaid or CHIP (the children's health program). It would focus on rural areas and places short on providers. The bill says the advice is not binding, so states would not have to follow it. It sends no money. The advice must point to tools states already have, such as Medicaid waivers that let states test new approaches. Whether more providers show up would depend on each state.
Congressional Summary
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.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- Senate
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in Senate
- Action Date
- 2025-12-16
- Date Added
- 2026-10-08
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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