A Democratic bill with 1 Republican cosponsor · See the cosponsor
Last activity — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
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
The ``More Behavioral Health Providers Act of 2025'' seeks to amend the Social Security Act regarding Medicare incentives. It aims to expand the Medicare health professional shortage area bonus program. This expansion specifically targets practitioners providing mental health and substance use disorder services. The bill adjusts how payments and bonuses are distributed to physicians and applicable practitioners. These changes apply to services used for diagnosis, evaluation, or treatment of specific disorders.
Yes· 3 of 7
- Scored +6
Does this make mental health care easier to get?
The bill expands Medicare bonus incentives to include a wider range of practitioners providing mental health and substance use disorder services.
- Scored +5
Does this put more money into Medicare, the health coverage for people over 65?
The bill increases payments from the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund to providers of mental health and substance use disorder services.
- Scored +5
Does this do more about addiction and overdose deaths?
The bill expands incentives for practitioners providing treatment for substance use disorders.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Increased Incentives for Mental Health Services: The bill provides a bonus equal to 15 percent of the payment amount for specified health services furnished in a mental health professional shortage area (Section 2, paragraph 1, subparagraph B).
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Expanded Definitions of Providers: The bill expands the term ``applicable practitioner'' to include clinical social workers, clinical psychologists, marriage and family therapists, and mental health counselors (Section 2, paragraph 5, subparagraph (6)).
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Support for Substance Use Disorder Treatment: The bill includes specified health services for individuals with a substance use disorder diagnosis for the purpose of treatment of such disorder or co-occurring mental health disorder (Section 2, paragraph 5, subparagraph (B)).
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Support for Mental Health Diagnosis and Treatment: The bill includes specified health services for the purposes of diagnosis, evaluation, or treatment of a mental health disorder (Section 2, paragraph 5, subparagraph (A)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No negative impacts or burdens are explicitly stated in the provided text.
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.
- Healthcare
- Does this make mental health care easier to get? — The bill expands Medicare bonus incentives to include a wider range of practitioners providing mental health and substance use disorder services. Does this do more about addiction and overdose deaths? — The bill expands incentives for practitioners providing treatment for substance use disorders. Does this put more money into Medicare, the health coverage for people over 65? — The bill increases payments from the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund to providers of mental health and substance use disorder services. Does this make health care easier to get in general? — The bill aims to increase the availability of mental health services in shortage areas by providing financial incentives to practitioners.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would retired people be better off under this? — The bill enhances the coverage and availability of mental health treatments for Medicare beneficiaries. Would people over 65 be better off under this? — The bill increases the availability of mental health and substance use disorder services for Medicare-covered individuals. Would households on low incomes be better off under this? — Increased provider incentives may improve access to essential mental health services for those relying on Medicare.
- 2/24/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Steve DainesRepublican · Montana