More Behavioral Health Providers Act of 2026
Sponsored By: Representative Budzinski
Introduced
Summary
Expands Medicare shortage-area bonuses to mental health and substance use disorder providers. This bill would create two parallel bonus streams paid on top of Medicare Part A and Part B payments and funded from the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund.
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- Physicians furnishing services in designated Health Professional Shortage Areas would receive a 10% bonus on Medicare payments, with payment to the physician or, in specified cases, to an employer or facility.
- A 15% bonus would cover "specified health services" for diagnosis, evaluation, or treatment of mental health disorders and substance use disorders in designated mental health professional shortage areas. "Applicable practitioners" named include physician assistants, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, clinical social workers, clinical psychologists, marriage and family therapists, and mental health counselors.
- The Secretary must identify shortage-area designations before the start of each year, bonuses would be distributed monthly or quarterly, and the definition of specified health services applies to services furnished on or after January 1, 2027.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Extra Medicare pay in shortage areas
This bill would create two new Medicare bonus payments for care given in shortage areas. Medicare would pay an extra 10% for physician services furnished in a health professional shortage area the Secretary names before the year. It would pay an extra 15% for specified mental health and substance use disorder services furnished in a mental health shortage area, for services on or after January 1, 2027. Bonuses would be paid monthly or quarterly from the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund to the physician or to the applicable practitioner (for example, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, clinical social workers, clinical psychologists, marriage and family therapists, and mental health counselors) or, in some billing cases, to an employer or facility.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Budzinski
IL • D
Cosponsors
Mann
KS • R
Sponsored 2/3/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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