Maternal home visiting, mental health bills advance in House

Sep 21, 2022 - 04:01 PM
A mother holds a newborn baby in a hospital bed

The House Ways and Means Committee today voted to advance to the full House bipartisan legislation (H.R.8876) that would reauthorize the federal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program, and double annual funding for the program to $800 million over five years. The committee also passed five packages of mental health bills. Among other provisions, the bills would: 
•    Add Medicare outpatient mental health treatment options and direct the Health and Human Services secretary to revise the Medicare payment system for inpatient psychiatric facilities.
•    Add marriage and family therapists and mental health counselors as Medicare providers; remove regulatory barriers that prevent hospitals from offering wellness benefits to all physicians; and direct the Administration to consider ways to increase access to stimulant addiction therapy.
•    Require coverage of forensic medical exams with no cost sharing.
•    Require private health plans to provide more data on their mental health benefits.
•    Evaluate health plans on their mental health network adequacy and require plans to submit machine-readable files describing their mental health and substance use disorder benefits.
 

Related News Articles

Headline
District court pauses 8 provisions from 2027 notice of benefit and payment parameters final rule
The U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland July 16 enjoined eight provisions from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ 2027 notice of…
Headline
CMS posts updated FAQ on PAMA clinical laboratory private payer data reporting 
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has released an updated FAQ on Protecting Access to Medicare Act private payer data reporting. The deadline is…
Headline
Draft guidance released for 2028 cycle of Medicare drug price negotiations 
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services July 16 released draft guidance for the 2028 cycle of negotiations under the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation…
Headline
AHA Town Hall provides Washington update
AHA Board Chair Marc Boom, M.D., took the stage July 13 to introduce AHA award winners and a town hall discussion on navigating the 2026 political…
Perspective
Keeping Patient Access Front and Center in Washington
Public
As we move into the second half of 2026 and Congress returns to work in Washington, D.C., next week, lawmakers face a list of difficult issues that demand…
Headline
Analysis: Marketplace plans to seek 14% median premium increase for 2027 
Health Insurance Marketplace insurers will propose a median premium increase of 14% for 2027, according to an analysis of preliminary rate filings published…