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Expand the Behavioral Health Workforce Now Act
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.
Summary
This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to issue guidance to States within 12 months on how to expand the mental health and substance use disorder workforce through Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program. The guidance would provide strategies for increasing education, training, recruitment, and retention of mental health and substance use disorder care providers. The guidance would focus on improving provider availability in rural and underserved areas and would include information on using existing program waivers and authorities.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
- Sen. Daines, Steve [R-MT] (R-MT)
1 cosponsor
- Sen. Peters, Gary C. [D-MI] (D-MI)
Actions (2)
- Dec 16, 2025 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. · senate
- Dec 16, 2025 Introduced in Senate
Similar bills (6)
Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.
Full text
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
December 16, 2025
Mr. Daines (for himself and Mr. Peters) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance
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 non-mandatory guidance to States on strategies under the Medicaid program under title XIX of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.) and the Children’s Health Insurance Program under title XXI of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1397aa et seq.) to increase education, training, recruitment, and retention of mental health and substance use disorder care providers that participate in such programs, 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 such Act (42 U.S.C. 1315) and authorities under such titles XIX and XXI for such purposes. <all>
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