• Background. After stalled efforts at passing the Build Back Better Agenda (BBBA), President Biden now appears to be switching focus and placing mental health policy at the forefront of his health care agenda. This push coincides with Congressional efforts in several committees — notably the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pension (HELP) and Finance Committees, and House Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce Committees — to parse together a mental health package, signaling White House support for these endeavors. The U.S.’ mental health infrastructure has been hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, with many individuals reporting high rates of anxiety and depression.

• Strengthening Provider Capacity. The Biden administration notes that the U.S. is experiencing a behavioral health care worker shortage compounded by a rise in Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas (MHPSA). The White House’s agenda emphasizes that it plans to replenish the mental health workforce through a health equity lens to ensure cultural competency. Specifically, the approach would:
• Invest in evidence-based programs — President Biden’s FY 2023 budget will include $700 million in programs that provide training and scholarship incentives to mental health and SUD clinicians in rural or underserved areas.
• Pilot new approaches — In the fall of 2022, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is expected to provide over $225 million for community health worker training programs. The President’s FY 2023 budget will also include a request for multi-year funding to increase provider capacity.
• Create a certification program for peer specialists — The White House plans to create a universal certificate program for peer mental health specialists.
• Support frontline health workers — President Biden announced that he will sign the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act (H.R.1667) — which has passed through the House and Senate — into law. The bill allocates $135 million for programs to promote mental health and resiliency among health care providers, including suicide prevention.
• Launch 988 — As planned, HHS will launch the 988 mental health crisis hotline this coming summer. Additionally, the President’s FY 2023 budget will supplement 988 funding with $700 million to increase the service’s staffing network.
• Expand evidence-based treatment — The President’s FY 2023 budget will propose to make Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHC) permanent, as well as assist states in funding CCBHC expansion efforts. The budget will also include a request to permanently extend funding for Community Mental Health Centers.
• Invest in research — The FY 2023 budget will call for a $5 million investment to research mental health treatment models.

• Connecting People to Mental Health Services. The White House’s statement highlights the difficulties Americans face in accessing mental health care. The administration stresses that insurance coverage should cover SUD care and integrate services into communities and online to reach people where they are. To address these concerns, the mental health plan would:
• Expand parity — The FY 2023 budget will propose that all health plans cover behavioral health services with in-network providers, including three behavioral health visits each year with no cost-sharing.
• Integrate behavioral health into primary care — To promote the integration of behavioral health and SUD care into primary care models, the President’s FY 2023 budget will double funding for such integration programs. Additionally, HHS will test payment models that support whole-person care. HHS will also authorize Medicaid reimbursement of inter-professional consultations, enabling primary care providers to consult with specialists for a beneficiary.
• Improve care for veterans — The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will fully implement its Primary Care Mental Health Integration and Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program. This initiative connects veterans to same-day mental health services and improves primary care integration.
• Expand access to virtual care — The Biden administration says that it will work with Congress to cement access to telehealth for behavioral health care across all health plans. HHS will also work with states to identify barriers to telehealth. Additionally, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is tasked with encouraging Federal Employees Health Benefits Programs (FEHBP) to reimburse providers.
• Expand access to school-based care — The Biden administration notes that it is committed to making it easier for school-based mental health professionals to seek Medicaid reimbursement for schools, colleges, and universities. The FY 2023 budget will also include $1 billion to help schools hire mental health care professionals. 
• Improve SUD access points — The FY 2023 budget will provide $50 million to pilot models that imbed mental health services in nontraditional settings. These may include libraries, community centers, schools, and homeless shelters.
• Increase behavioral health navigation resources — The administration will work to refurbish and improve mentalhealth.gov to make the interface more user-friendly, and the Department of Defense (DOD) will create an access point with resources for service members and their families.

• Foster Healthy Communities. The Biden administration outlines several factors that impact mental health, with a focus on social determinants of health (SDOH) and the impacts of social media on children.
• Ban targeting ads online — President Biden is calling on Congress to ban “excessive” data collection and targeted ads for young people.
• Implement online protections for young people — The White House expressed its stance that the U.S. should implement enhanced online protections, with a focus on platforms prioritizing the health and safety of its young users.
• Curtail discriminatory algorithms — The administration is concerned about unfair treatment of young people by platform algorithms and wants to ensure that these content algorithms do not discriminate against children.
• Conduct social media research — The FY 2023 budget will include $5 million towards researching the harms of social media and corresponding clinical interventions. Additionally, HHS will stand up a national Center of Excellence on Social Media and Mental Wellness to educate the public on social media use.
• Expand early childhood and school-based interventions — The FY 2023 will include requests for over $70 million in infant and early childhood mental health programs, as well as continued funding for the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (MIECHVP). Lastly, this effort includes a $400 million provision to increase for the Full-Service Community School program.
• Enhancing student success — President Biden’s FY 2023 budget will propose to double funding for Title I, a ten-fold increase in funding for the Full-Service Community School program, and a $3.3 billion increase for Individuals with Disabilities Education Act grants and an additional $450 million will be directed towards The Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities (IDEA Part C).
• Increase resources for jailed and imprisoned populations — The White House directs the Department of Justice (DOJ) to expand funding and assistance to communities and correctional systems to increase access to behavioral health care for those returning to the community from incarceration.
• Train service professionals — The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will train housing counselors and other housing-based professionals to recognize emotional distress and connect participants with mental health resources. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) will train Farm Production and Conservation Mission Area field employees as well, and HHS will provide additional training for Head Start, Early Head Start, and home visiting grantees.