The Emergency Responders Mental Health Training Act directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to create a pilot fellowship program that funds postbaccalaureate training for mental health and substance use disorder professionals. This initiative aims to increase the number of culturally competent practitioners who understand the unique stressors, duties, and confidentiality requirements faced by emergency response providers such as police, firefighters, and EMTs. The bill authorizes $10 million in annual appropriations for fiscal years 2028 through 2033 to support these fellowships across fields including psychiatry, nursing, social work, and psychology. Additionally, the Secretary must submit reports to Congress two and five years after the program's establishment to evaluate its efficiency, impact on patient outcomes, and overall effectiveness.
The Health Care Accountability Mission Act of 2026 allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to impose civil monetary penalties on for-profit hospitals, critical access hospitals, and rural emergency hospitals that repeatedly fail to meet safety standards in ways that immediately jeopardize patient health. Specifically, a penalty of up to $10,000 per day may be assessed if a hospital has received a similar determination within the previous two years. The bill requires these determinations to be published on a public website maintained by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and applies existing procedural rules for civil monetary penalties to this new provision.
The GREEN Hospitals Act authorizes $100 billion in Hill-Burton grants for hospitals and other medical facilities to upgrade their infrastructure for climate resilience and emissions reduction. It also establishes a separate $5 billion Planning and Evaluation Grant Program that provides up to $500,000 per project to help states, tribes, and nonprofits develop sustainability plans before construction begins. To receive funding, applicants must demonstrate labor protections, including collective bargaining agreements or non-interference policies, and certify they do not impose training repayment debts on employees. The bill prioritizes projects in environmental justice communities and those serving high numbers of Medicare and Medicaid patients, requiring that at least half of the planning grant funds be directed to these areas.
The Rural Emergency Hospital Designation Improvement Act expands Medicaid coverage for services provided by rural emergency hospitals and allows these facilities to offer additional inpatient units for psychiatric, rehabilitation, and obstetric care. It also creates a pathway for existing facilities that operate similarly to rural emergency hospitals to convert their status by waiving certain requirements, while permitting them to provide skilled nursing "swing bed" services under specific agreements.
To support financial sustainability, the bill increases Medicare payments for diagnostic laboratory tests performed at these hospitals by 5 percent starting in 2027 and ensures that facilities reverting to critical access hospital status can regain their necessary provider designation. Additionally, the legislation designates rural emergency hospitals as health professional shortage areas to facilitate National Health Service Corps placements and includes them in the Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program grant eligibility.
The 9-8-8 Community Infrastructure Act authorizes $1 billion in grants for capital projects at health centers and crisis response facilities. Eligible recipients include federally funded health centers, tribal organizations, and specialized non-hospital facilities that provide 24/7 mental health and substance use crisis services. Funds may be used for construction, renovation, expansion, or loan repayment to improve these infrastructure sites. The bill specifically defines eligible crisis facilities as those offering stabilization beds, sliding-scale payment options, and no-wrong-door admission without rejecting patients based on ability to pay or other factors.
The 9-8-8 Crisis Response Act expands federal funding for mental health crisis response and broadens Medicaid coverage to include regional lifeline call centers and crisis stabilization facilities. The bill increases the annual budget for the Mental Health Crisis Response Partnership Pilot Program from $10 million to $100 million for fiscal years 2027 through 2029. It also allows states to use Medicaid funds to pay for these new services, with the federal government covering 85 percent of the costs. To qualify, crisis stabilization facilities must provide 24-hour care without rejecting patients based on their ability to pay or other factors, and they must maintain an average patient stay of less than 150 hours.
The Supporting 9-8-8 Crisis Stabilization Act amends Medicaid rules to allow federal funding for specific community-based mental health facilities that were previously excluded from coverage. It defines two new types of eligible sites: crisis receiving and stabilization facilities, which must operate 24/7 with an average stay under 150 hours, and mental health and substance use urgent care centers where individuals can walk in without an appointment. These facilities are required to accept referrals from law enforcement and emergency personnel while prohibiting service denials based on factors like ability to pay or criminal justice history. The bill also directs the Department of Health and Human Services to issue implementation guidance within 180 days and submit a report to Congress one year later analyzing how these changes affect hospital admissions, incarceration rates, and overall crisis response utilization.
The Local Health Care Protection Act of 2026 allows certain hospitals to continue participating in the federal drug discount program, known as Section 340B, even if they no longer meet specific financial thresholds related to serving low-income patients. This provision applies to hospitals that were already eligible for the program on July 3, 2025, and protects their access to discounted medications through cost reporting periods ending by September 30, 2030. The bill directly affects rural and underserved hospitals that may lose eligibility due to changes in Medicaid funding or Medicare payment formulas. Additionally, it requires the Government Accountability Office to conduct a study within one year on how these financial criteria are calculated and how declining payments impact essential health services in rural areas.
HB 6289 establishes the Primary Care Access, Improvement, and Transformation Commission within Michigan's Department of Health and Human Services to advise on strategies for expanding access to affordable primary care. The commission will consist of 21 members appointed by the governor from lists provided by various medical, nursing, hospital, and advocacy organizations, representing a broad range of stakeholders including physicians, community health workers, insurers, and patients. Its key duties include recommending ways to increase state spending on primary care by at least 12%, analyzing other states' models and federal innovation programs, and publishing an annual report on workforce trends, payer spending, and the impact of artificial intelligence. The bill also requires the commission to hold regional meetings for public feedback and mandates a review of its continued necessity after eight years, with the act itself expiring ten years after it takes effect.
Senate, August 20, 2026 -- The committee on Public Health, to whom was referred the petitions (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 227) of Ryan C. Fattman and Bruce E. Tarr for legislation to expand options for EMT paramedics; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 253) of Jason M. Lewis for legislation to modernize licensure of dietitians and nutritionists by creating a Dietetics and Nutrition board; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1493) of John J. Cronin for legislation to improve patient outcomes across the continuum; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1524) of James B. Eldridge for legislation relative to the Massachusetts lead law and promoting equal access to lead-free housing; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1527) of Ryan C. Fattman and Bruce E. Tarr for legislation relative to arbovirus in the Commonwealth; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1544) of Cindy F. Friedman for legislation relative to interpreters for non-English speaking patient in health care facilities; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1558) of Edward J. Kennedy and Colleen M. Garry for legislation to ban the selling of a herbal substance that can produce opioid- and stimulant-like effects; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1574) of Paul W. Mark and Michael D. Brady for legislation to preserve access to hospital services; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1600) of Patrick M. O'Connor for legislation relative to the safety of Autistic and Alzheimer's individuals; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1613) of Jacob R. Oliveira for legislation to provide access to health transportation for vulnerable patients; and (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1620) of Michael F. Rush and Rebecca L. Rausch for legislation to protect children from harmful diet pills and muscle-building supplements, report the accompanying Order (Senate, No. 3258).
