Back to all bills
HR 5217119th CongressIn Committee
Rural Behavioral Health Improvement Act of 2025
Introduced: Sep 8, 2025
Sponsor: Rep. Tokuda, Jill N. [D-HI-2] (D-Hawaii)
Healthcare
Standard Summary
Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs
The Rural Behavioral Health Improvement Act of 2025 would change Medicare rules to reduce restrictions on delivering behavioral health services in rural health clinics (RHCs). Specifically, it would strike a clause that currently excludes facilities “primarily for the care and treatment of mental diseases” from certain Medicare definitions, effectively allowing such facilities to qualify as RHCs for Medicare reimbursement. The change would take effect January 1, 2027. In short, the bill aims to broaden which rural clinics can provide and be paid for behavioral health services under Medicare, with the goal of expanding access to mental health and related services in rural areas.
Key Points
- 1Amends title XVIII of the Social Security Act (Medicare) by modifying Section 1861(aa)(2).
- 2Removes the language that excludes facilities primarily for the care and treatment of mental diseases from RHC-related eligibility.
- 3Purpose is to expand the delivery and reimbursement of behavioral health services at rural health clinics.
- 4Effective date of the change: January 1, 2027.
- 5Introduced in the House by Rep. Tokuda (with multiple co-sponsors) and referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce (and Ways and Means for provisions under their jurisdiction).
Impact Areas
Primary group/area affected: Rural health clinics and Medicare beneficiaries in rural communities; behavioral health providers operating in rural areas.Secondary group/area affected: Rural health systems and networks that include or rely on RHCs; potential effects on providers of mental health and substance use services in rural settings.Additional impacts: Possible changes in access to behavioral health services, potential budgetary and payer implications for Medicare, and a window (through 2027) for clinics that are primarily mental health-focused to participate as RHCs under Medicare. No new funding is provided in the bill, so any expansion would rely on existing Medicare payment structures and future budgeting decisions.
Generated by gpt-5-nano on Oct 8, 2025