Xavier Becerra United States Secretary of Health and Human Services | Official Website
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has approved New Hampshire’s Medicaid State Plan Amendment to provide community-based mobile crisis intervention services for individuals experiencing mental health or substance use disorder crises. This approval allows New Hampshire to connect Medicaid-eligible individuals in crisis to behavioral health providers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. With this approval, New Hampshire joins 20 other states and the District of Columbia in expanding access to these critical services under a new Medicaid option created by the Biden-Harris American Rescue Plan.
“Expanding access to mental health and substance use care – especially for those in crisis – is a top priority for the Biden-Harris Administration,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “I applaud New Hampshire for making mobile crisis care and other community-based supports available to its residents. I encourage more states to do the same. These resources save lives and improve health.”
“Mobile crisis services meet people where they are, providing essential mental health and substance use disorder services when people need them most,” said CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. “I applaud New Hampshire on this policy because we know that meeting people in crisis where they are, with access to a behavioral health specialist 24 hours per day, can help save lives.” She added that this initiative is particularly significant during National Recovery Month as it offers support, celebrates those working through recovery, and highlights effective treatment practices.
The Biden-Harris Administration has prioritized addressing the nation’s mental health crisis. This new option enables states to support community-based mobile crisis intervention teams that provide rapid response, individual assessment, and crisis de-escalation by trained behavioral health professionals and paraprofessionals. These multidisciplinary teams offer screening and assessment; stabilization and de-escalation; coordination with; and referrals to health, social, and other necessary services.
Providing timely care during crises may reduce the need for costly inpatient services. This new option will help New Hampshire expand access to behavioral health professionals as initial contacts for individuals in crisis. The state can now receive Medicaid funding for mobile crisis response planning, direct connections to specialized services, ongoing support referrals, and follow-up check-ins.
In addition to New Hampshire, states such as Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon Vermont Washington Wisconsin West Virginia have also received approval for this provision through a State Plan amendment.
This announcement is part of HHS's efforts supporting President Biden’s strategy to transform mental health services across America—a key component of the President’s Unity Agenda.
For more information on New Hampshire’s approval visit Medicaid.gov.
