To amend Public Health Service Act to require community health centers to provide behavioral and mental health and substance use disorder services, and for other purposes.
Sponsored By: Representative Lee, Susie [D-NV-3]
Introduced
Summary
Requires community health centers to include behavioral and mental health and substance use disorder services as part of their core primary care. It also creates a dedicated federal funding stream to help centers expand and sustain those services.
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- Community health centers would be required to offer behavioral health and substance use disorder services as designated primary health services under the Public Health Service Act. This changes what centers must provide on site.
- The bill amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act funding rules and the Public Health Service Act by adding a new subparagraph for behavioral health and by adjusting funding language to support it. Those statutory edits set the legal basis and funding channel for the change.
- Patients who use community health centers would see more integrated access to mental health and substance use care where they already receive primary care, which could reduce the need to seek separate specialty providers.
*Provides $700 million per year to the Department of Health and Human Services for each fiscal year 2027 through 2031 to support these services.*
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
More behavioral health at community clinics
If enacted, community health centers that get federal Section 330 funding would have to offer behavioral and mental health services. They would also have to offer substance use disorder services as a required core service. The bill would send $700 million a year to HHS for each fiscal year 2027 through 2031 to help pay for those services. If you get care at one of these centers, you could have more access to mental health and addiction treatment. The service requirement would take effect upon enactment.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Lee, Susie [D-NV-3]
NV • D
Cosponsors
There are no cosponsors for this bill.
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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