States can integrate behavioral health services into their Medicaid programs under a new option meant to help people experiencing mental health or substance use crises.
The Medicaid option will allow states to support mobile crisis intervention services, which connect users to a behavioral health specialist on call, the Biden administration announced Tuesday.
“Where needed, behavioral health experts, not law enforcement, should be the first responders to mental health and substance misuse crises,” Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement.
The mobile crisis intervention services “may reduce the need for costly inpatient services” by connecting ...