Medicaid now must pay for mental health and primary care on same day
H.R. 9847 — Improving CARE for Youth Act · Filed by Neal Dunn (R-FL) · 4 cosponsors · Introduced Jul 22, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill amends Medicaid to require states to pay for mental health, substance use disorder, and primary care services when they are delivered on the same day by the same facility or provider network. Currently, some state Medicaid programs may deny or reduce payment for these services if delivered together on the same day; this bill prohibits that practice and ensures patients can receive coordinated care without losing coverage.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core function is to mandate Medicaid payment for integrated same-day mental health, substance use, and primary care services. It is a straightforward coverage and payment policy with no hidden riders or narrow beneficiaries.
What the text implies
- May increase Medicaid expenditures if states were previously denying same-day service bundles; however, this reflects removal of a coverage gap rather than new spending.
- Incentivizes co-location and integration of mental health, substance use, and primary care services within single facilities, potentially reshaping provider networks and care delivery models.
- Telehealth explicitly included, allowing remote delivery of coordinated services and expanding access in rural and underserved areas.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
Patients with mental health, substance use, or primary care needs gain access to coordinated same-day care without coverage gaps or payment denials. This removes a financial barrier to integrated treatment, which is especially important for vulnerable populations (youth, low-income individuals) who rely on Medicaid and benefit from efficient, consolidated care.
Who stands to gain
- Federally qualified health centers (FQHCs)
- Rural health clinics
- Physician practices and outpatient facilities offering integrated care
- Telehealth providers
Named in the bill
Medicaid, Social Security Act Section 1902, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), Rural Health Clinics, Physicians, Mental health service providers, Substance use disorder treatment providers
Where it stands
4 cosponsors: 4 Democrats.
- Jul 22, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Jul 22, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (2,159 characters) on Jul 28, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
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