A Democratic bill with 1 Republican cosponsor · See all 28 cosponsors
Last activity — Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill aims to improve the implementation and operation of the 9-8-8 suicide prevention lifeline and expand behavioral health crisis services across the nation. It provides federal funding to upgrade call centers, train behavioral health workers, and launch targeted media campaigns to raise awareness about suicide prevention. Additionally, the legislation mandates coverage for crisis response services under federal healthcare programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE, as well as private group health plans. It also establishes a panel to issue recommendations for 9-1-1 dispatchers and updates Medicaid rules regarding certain mental health facilities. Overall, the bill seeks to make mental health crisis care more accessible and better integrated with emergency dispatch systems.
Yes· 3 of 42
- Scored +10
Does this make mental health care easier to get?
Significantly expands access to crisis call centers, stabilization facilities, and urgent care.
- Scored +9
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?
Expands Medicaid coverage and mandates sliding scale payments at facilities.
- Scored +9
Would veterans be better off under this, taking everything together?
Provides targeted coverage through TRICARE and VA reimbursement.
The opposite· 3 of 6
- Scored -5
Does this reduce what the federal government spends?
Increases government expenditures through grants and expanded Medicare/Medicaid coverage.
- Scored -3
Does this lower what people pay for private health insurance?
Adding mandatory coverage requirements for insurers may lead to increased premiums.
- Scored -3
Does this leave more decisions to the states?
Reduces state flexibility by mandating specific coverage and reporting standards.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Section 101: This section provides $441,000,000 for fiscal year 2027 to award grants to regional and local call centers. This funding helps purchase or upgrade technology, hire and train staff, and improve overall operations, which means people in crisis can get quicker and more reliable help when they call the lifeline.
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Section 103: This section establishes a national suicide prevention media campaign to educate families, friends, and communities on how to address suicide and increase awareness of available resources. This is a positive step because it helps reduce stigma and ensures more people know where to turn for help in their local areas.
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Section 201: This section provides $1,000,000,000 in capital grants for health centers, crisis receiving and stabilization facilities, and call centers. This funding supports facility expansion and new construction, improving the physical infrastructure available to treat individuals experiencing mental health or substance use crises.
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Section 202: This section expands behavioral health workforce training programs and fellowships for professionals specializing in crisis management services. Training more workers helps address shortages in mental health professionals, ensuring communities have enough trained staff to handle crisis calls and mobile team responses.
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Section 301: This section mandates coverage of crisis response services across Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, TRICARE, veterans' benefits, and private health insurance plans. This ensures that individuals will not be denied necessary crisis care due to a lack of insurance coverage or restrictive financial requirements.
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Section 402: This section revises the Medicaid IMD exclusion so that certified community behavioral health clinics, community mental health centers, and crisis stabilization facilities are no longer excluded from receiving Medicaid payments. This allows low-income individuals to receive vital short-term crisis care in these specialized facilities with the help of Medicaid.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Section 301(c): This section requires group health plans and health insurance issuers to provide benefits for crisis response services and prohibits separate cost-sharing requirements. While helpful for consumers seeking care, this mandate could potentially lead to higher overall health insurance premiums for everyday people as insurers pass down the cost of compliance.
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Section 101 and Section 201: These sections authorize billions of dollars in new federal spending, including $441,000,000 for call centers and $1,000,000,000 for capital grants. For taxpayers concerned about the national debt and government spending, pumping large amounts of new money into these programs without immediate offsets could be viewed as a negative financial burden.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would households on low incomes be better off under this? — Expands Medicaid coverage and mandates sliding scale payments at facilities. Would veterans be better off under this, taking everything together? — Provides targeted coverage through TRICARE and VA reimbursement. Would people in rural areas be better off under this? — Provides specific support and funding for rural behavioral health professional shortages. Would children be better off under this? — Explicitly includes children and adolescents in the definition of crisis response services. Would people in middle age be better off under this? — Increases availability of crisis stabilization and urgent care facilities. Would Native Americans be better off under this? — Explicitly includes Tribal organizations in grants and consultation for the media campaign. Would people with disabilities be better off under this? — Protects access to services regardless of intellectual or developmental disability. Would retired people be better off under this? — Expands Medicare coverage for crisis services. Would people over 65 be better off under this? — Mandates Medicare coverage for crisis response services. Would people in their twenties and thirties be better off under this? — Expands access to mental health crisis resources and educational outreach. Would Black Americans be better off under this? — Focuses on culturally competent outreach and underserved communities. Would Asian Americans be better off under this? — Focuses on culturally competent outreach and underserved communities. Would Hispanic Americans be better off under this? — Focuses on culturally competent outreach and underserved communities. Would middle-income households be better off under this? — Ensures crisis services are covered by private and group health insurance. Would students be better off under this? — Targets outreach to schools and expands behavioral health training. Would people in cities be better off under this? — Increases number of crisis stabilization and urgent care centers. Would farmers be better off under this? — Improves rural access to behavioral health crisis services. Would LGBTQ people be better off under this? — General improvement in mental health resource availability and culturally competent care. Would men be better off under this? — General improvement in mental health resource availability. Would white Americans be better off under this? — Increases general access to mental health crisis resources. Would women be better off under this? — General improvement in mental health resource availability. Would high-income households be better off under this? — Increases overall availability of high-quality crisis intervention infrastructure. Would immigrants be better off under this? — Expands access to services that cannot be denied based on place of residence. Would business owners be better off under this? — May increase costs for employers providing group health insurance.
- Healthcare
- Does this make mental health care easier to get? — Significantly expands access to crisis call centers, stabilization facilities, and urgent care. Does this make health care easier to get in general? — Expands the network of behavioral health crisis services and mandated insurance coverage. Does this help veterans get medical care? — Specifically mandates coverage for crisis response services for veterans. Does this do more about addiction and overdose deaths? — Includes substance use crises within the definition of crisis response services. Does this put more money into Medicaid, the health coverage for people on low incomes? — Mandates Medicaid coverage for crisis response services and modifies the IMD exclusion. Does this put more money into Medicare, the health coverage for people over 65? — Mandates Medicare coverage for crisis response services. Does this lower what a hospital stay costs? — Aims to divert mental health emergencies from hospital emergency rooms to specialized facilities. Does this strengthen the Affordable Care Act? — Requires group and individual health insurance issuers to provide crisis response benefits. Does this lower what people pay for private health insurance? — Adding mandatory coverage requirements for insurers may lead to increased premiums.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Does this change how police departments operate? — Develops protocols to connect callers to crisis care instead of responding with law enforcement. Does this expand the rights of people with disabilities? — Ensures services are not limited based on intellectual or developmental disability. Does this narrow racial gaps in how people are treated? — Requires culturally competent outreach and targets populations at disproportionate risk. Is this likely to lift people out of poverty? — Provides services via sliding scales and Medicaid, reducing financial barriers for low-income individuals. Is this likely to reduce homelessness? — Crisis stabilization facilities may provide a critical bridge for homeless individuals in crisis.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this protect people from being watched or searched? — Requires that data collection standards for crisis services protect caller privacy. Does this give the federal government more power? — Imposes federal mandates on state Medicaid plans and private insurance providers. Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see? — Requires reporting to Congress on the effectiveness and utilization of crisis services. Does this leave more decisions to the states? — Reduces state flexibility by mandating specific coverage and reporting standards.
- National Security And Foreign Policy
- Does this increase the pay, pensions or support veterans receive? — Expands reimbursement and coverage for veteran crisis response services.
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Does this invest in rural communities? — Provides grants for facilities and training specifically targeting rural and underserved areas.
- Economy And Finance
- Is this likely to create jobs? — Provides grants for hiring call center staff and expanding the behavioral health workforce. Does this reduce what the federal government spends? — Increases government expenditures through grants and expanded Medicare/Medicaid coverage. Does this make the government pay for what it commits to? — Increases federal spending without specifying an offsetting revenue source. Does this reduce what the federal government owes? — Authorizes significant new federal spending for grants and healthcare coverage.
- 11/2/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 10/22/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 10/1/2026
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- 9/16/2026
- Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
- 9/15/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 9/14/2026
- 4 Cosponsors added.
- 9/8/2026
- 4 Cosponsors added.
- 9/3/2026
- Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Armed Services, Veterans' Affairs, Oversight and Government Reform, and Education and Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- 15 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in House
6 bills Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Donald BeyerDemocrat · Virginia
Nanette BarragánDemocrat · California
Nikki BudzinskiDemocrat · Illinois
Becca BalintDemocrat · Vermont
Janelle BynumDemocrat · Oregon
Ed CaseDemocrat · Hawaii
Salud CarbajalDemocrat · California
Troy CarterDemocrat · Louisiana
Debbie DingellDemocrat · Michigan
Brian FitzpatrickRepublican · Pennsylvania
Daniel GoldmanDemocrat · New York
Sam LiccardoDemocrat · California
Grace MengDemocrat · New York
Seth MoultonDemocrat · Massachusetts
Jennifer McClellanDemocrat · Virginia
Eleanor NortonDemocrat · District of Columbia
Joe NeguseDemocrat · Colorado
Nellie PouDemocrat · New Jersey
Jamie RaskinDemocrat · Maryland
Adam SmithDemocrat · Washington
Kim SchrierDemocrat · Washington
Andrea SalinasDemocrat · Oregon
Paul TonkoDemocrat · New York
Rashida TlaibDemocrat · Michigan
Lori TrahanDemocrat · Massachusetts
Jill TokudaDemocrat · Hawaii
Bonnie Watson ColemanDemocrat · New Jersey
George WhitesidesDemocrat · California