# 119-hr-8487: Ensuring Excellence in Mental Health Act 119-hr-8487, Ensuring Excellence in Mental Health Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Matsui, Doris O. [D-CA-7] (D-CA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-21). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8487 - 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-8487 - Congress: 119 - Title: Ensuring Excellence in Mental Health Act - Status: introduced - Introduced: 2026-04-23 - Sponsor: Rep. Matsui, Doris O. [D-CA-7] (D-CA) - Cosponsors: 12 - Policy area: Health - Touches household money: yes - Last recorded action: 2026-09-21 ## Summary **Certified community behavioral health clinics (CCBHCs)** would be expanded across Medicaid and Medicare, with new payment systems, federal grants, accreditation paths, and liability protections to help clinics scale and coordinate care. - Families and patients would get broader access to integrated behavioral health services that can include additional services and some primary care. Medicaid coverage and expanded CCBHC definitions would apply starting October 1, 2026, and Medicare coverage would apply for services furnished on or after January 1, 2027. - Clinics and providers would operate under new prospective payment systems (PPS) in Medicaid and Medicare. Medicaid PPS would begin for services on or after January 1, 2026, rebasing would occur every 3 years, and Medicare’s PPS would use a 2027 base built from recent audited cost reports; the bill also adds accreditation options, liability protections, PRRB cost‑report review rights, and anti‑kickback safe harbors for certain coinsurance waivers. - States and the health system would get a new federal grant and technical assistance program for operating grants, data infrastructure, accreditation support, and guidance to expand CCBHCs nationwide. ## Cosponsors (12) - Rep. Pfluger, August [R-TX-11] (R-TX), 2026-04-23T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Craig, Angie [D-MN-2] (D-MN), 2026-04-23T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Alford, Mark [R-MO-4] (R-MO), 2026-04-23T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Tonko, Paul [D-NY-20] (D-NY), 2026-04-23T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1] (R-PA), 2026-04-23T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Goldman, Craig A. [R-TX-12] (R-TX), 2026-04-23T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Davids, Sharice [D-KS-3] (D-KS), 2026-06-09T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Balint, Becca [D-VT-At Large] (D-VT), 2026-06-09T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Strickland, Marilyn [D-WA-10] (D-WA), 2026-06-18T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Goodlander, Maggie [D-NH-2] (D-NH), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Kean, Thomas H. [R-NJ-7] (R-NJ), 2026-08-27T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Dexter, Maxine [D-OR-3] (D-OR), 2026-09-14T00:00:00.000Z ## Provisions PRIA read - Large grants to expand community clinics: benefit, high. If enacted, the bill would authorize large operating grants to help community behavioral health clinics become certified and expand services. The program would authorize $552,500,000 to be appropriated for each year from FY2026 through FY2030. Grants could pay for services, equipment, training, cap… - Medicaid: new payments and services: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would let States elect a new Medicaid prospective payment system (PPS) to pay certified community behavioral health clinics starting for services on or after January 1, 2026. The PPS could pay per day or per month (excluding repeat visits), allow separate rates for special popu… - Medicare: CCBHC coverage and payment: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would add certified community behavioral health clinic services to Medicare starting January 1, 2027 and create a Medicare PPS for those services. For each covered service, Medicare would pay 80% of the lesser of the clinic's actual charge or the PPS amount. The 2027 base rates… - Help, data, and accreditation for clinics: mixed, medium. If enacted, the bill would create federal programs to support CCBHC implementation. The Secretary would set up technical assistance within 180 days and Congress could fund $8,000,000 per year for FY2026–FY2030 for that work. The bill would fund a national CCBHC data system with $51,000,000 per year… ## Related bills - 119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025 - 119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act - 119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act - 119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act - 119-hr-979: AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2025 - 119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025 ## Sources - [119-hr-8487 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8487) ## Related - [119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3514) - [119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2102) - [119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1262) - [119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage A…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-842) - [119-hr-979: AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-979) - [119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4206) - [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8487 (as of 2026-09-21).