Bill > HR7324

This bill, titled the "More Behavioral Health Providers Act of 2026," amends Title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand eligibility for bonus payments under the Medicare Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) bonus program. Specifically, it allows practitioners providing mental health and substance use disorder services in designated shortage areas to receive these incentives. Currently, the HPSA bonus program primarily benefits physicians in general shortage areas. This bill introduces a new category for "specified health services," which includes diagnosis, evaluation, or treatment of mental health disorders or substance use disorders, and offers a higher bonus percentage (15%) for these services when provided by physicians or "applicable practitioners" in mental health professional shortage areas. Applicable practitioners are defined to include physician assistants, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, clinical social workers, clinical psychologists, marriage and family therapists, and mental health counselors, thereby broadening the scope of professionals who can benefit from these incentives and encouraging more behavioral health providers to practice in underserved areas.

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https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/7324/all-info