As of July 18, 2023, 43 states had enacted their fiscal year (FY) 2024 budgets. CHA has updated its state behavioral health initiative tracker to incorporate information on states’ pediatric behavioral health funding priorities. For information about governors’ FY 2024 pediatric behavioral health budget requests, see the CHA FY 2024 proposed budget tracker.
According to our review of the state budgets, investments in children's behavioral health programs continue to be an ongoing and growing priority for states. Key themes across the states include:
- A focus on school-based behavioral health services.
- Investments in the behavioral health workforce.
- Increases in Medicaid provider reimbursement for behavioral health services.
Highlights of states’ pediatric-focused behavioral health initiatives can be found below.
Supporting and expanding school-based behavioral health services
Twenty states funded school-based behavioral health initiatives.
- Four states funded increases in the number of behavioral health providers in schools.
- Ten state budgets include funding to expand access to behavioral health services in school settings.
Investing in the behavioral health workforce
Nineteen state budgets include funding to strengthen the overall behavioral health workforce and provider infrastructure. No state targeted pediatric providers, specifically.
- Seven state budgets include funding for behavioral health provider loan repayment programs.
- Eight state budgets target funding towards behavioral health provider recruitment and retention efforts.
Increasing Medicaid reimbursement rates
Eleven proposed budgets include funding to increase Medicaid reimbursement rates for behavioral health services. Most of these increases are not targeted to pediatric providers or services. Examples of these initiatives include the following:
- One state is increasing Medicaid rates for value-based pediatric behavioral health services.
- One state is increasing reimbursement rates for Medicaid services for individuals with complex health care needs.
- Four states are increasing Medicaid payment for community behavioral health services.
The CHA FY 2024 enacted state budget tracker will be updated after all state legislatures have completed their sessions and all enacted state budgets become publicly available for review.
Last year’s FY 2023 enacted state budget tracker can be found here for reference.
