November 21, 2023
On November 8, 2023, the United States Senate Finance Committee convened to deliberate on the Better Mental Health Care, Lower-Cost Drugs, and Extenders Act.
The bipartisan legislation package, as reported in a Hearing Summary by Thorn Run Partners, aims to expand access to mental health care and mental health parity; reign in pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) practices and enhance transparency; extend the essential Medicare and Medicaid provisions set to expire this year; and establish provider payments.
The Senate Finance Committee voted by a measure of 26 in favor and 0 opposed to advance the package, which included an amendment aimed at defining Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) as they relate to Medicare and Medicaid.
Click here to access the hearing summary, click here to access the Committee Chair Markup of the package, and click here to access a section-by-section summary of the Better Mental Health Care, Lower-Cost Drugs, and Extenders Act from the Senate Finance Committee for more information.
