March 29, 2022
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During his FY2023 budget address this afternoon, President Joe Biden focused on three values: "fiscal responsibility, safety and security at home and around the world, and the investments needed to continue our equitable growth and build a better America." Pres. Biden mentioned funding for mental healthcare and substance use disorder (SUD) treatment services as part of "areas of bipartisan common good", which he also referred to as the "unity agenda". This funding includes support for services to continue addressing the opioid crisis, "get all Americans the mental health services they need", provide more support for veterans and focus on cancer. The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services "will drive breakthroughs to prevent, detect and treat diseases, including Alzheimer's, diabetes, cancer and more," Pres. Biden stated. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) shared additional details on behavioral healthcare funding during a briefing this morning. Director Shalanda Young stated that the President's budget includes $1 billion in "new mandatory funding" for behavioral health. Related initiatives include increasing access and integration of care in various settings; training for new providers; incentives to practice where there are workforce shortages; expanding community mental health clinics; implementing the 988 Crisis Response System; and increasing access, lowering consumers' costs and strengthening parity. Young also shared that for autism services, the President's proposed budget includes a $2.9 billion increase for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B for K-12 special education and nearly doubling IDEA Part C for early intervention for infants and toddlers. The Part C funding would also be used for expand access to early intervention services for children of color and those living in families with low incomes. In addition, the National Institutes of Health will continue to receive "robust funding" for research on autism and other intellectual/developmental disabilities. "The Biden administration is also focused on efforts to tackle affordable housing with a $50 billion proposal for housing construction and supply to address the existing market gaps and help stabilize the housing market over the long term," as summarized by CBS News. "As the U.S. continues to face supply chain bottlenecks that have helped drive up costs across the country, the president is also looking to speed up the movement of goods through ports with $230 million for ports development and $1.7 billion for the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund," CBS News also reported. Click here to read excerpts from Budget of the U.S. Government: Fiscal Year 2023, which provide additional details on funding related to mental healthcare and SUD treatment services. Click here to read Pres. Biden's statement on the budget and here to watch a video of President Biden's budget address. |
