# 119-hr-7324: More Behavioral Health Providers Act of 2026

119-hr-7324, More Behavioral Health Providers Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Budzinski, Nikki [D-IL-13] (D-IL); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7324
- As of: 2026-09-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-7324
- Congress: 119
- Title: More Behavioral Health Providers Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-02-03
- Sponsor: Rep. Budzinski, Nikki [D-IL-13] (D-IL)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Policy area: Health
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-21

## 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. - 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.

## Cosponsors (2)

- Rep. Mann, Tracey [R-KS-1] (R-KS), 2026-02-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2026-04-22T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Extra Medicare pay in shortage areas: benefit, low. 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 u…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025
- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-10421: Transforming Education for the Future Act
- 119-hr-8870: BUILD America 250 Act
- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-7324 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/7324)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669)
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-10421: Transforming Education for the Future Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-10421)
- [119-hr-8870: BUILD America 250 Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8870)
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7324 (as of 2026-09-21).