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House panel approves governor's behavioral health plan with changes • Iowa Capital Dispatch [1]

['Robin Opsahl', 'More From Author', '- March']

Date: 2024-03 

The House Appropriations Committee unanimously approved the governor’s behavioral health care reform bill Tuesday, making it eligible for debate on the House floor.

House File 2509 is Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ proposal to establish a Behavioral Health Services System (BHSS), combining existing mental health, substance abuse and other recovery services into one system. The state would be divided into seven districts for care, taking over from 13 mental health and 19 substance abuse regions.

Under the legislation, the current Mental Health and Disabilities Services (MHDS) would move into an advisory role, while the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services would be in charge of overseeing BHSS and would move disability care under the department’s division of disability and aging services.

Rep. Joel Fry, R-Osceola, presented multiple amendments which were added to the bill, addressing some issues brought up by advocates and mental health care providers. Changes included setting a longer timeline for implementation — going into effect Dec. 31, 2024 instead of Aug. 1, 2024 — adding core services for mental health back into code, and clarifying some language related to community care providers.

House lawmakers also added in language from another bill, House File 2042, which addressed enhanced Medicaid reimbursement rates to licensed psychiatric medical institutions for children. Senators proposed an amendment striking a majority of that bill’s language. Measures removed included coverage through the Healthy and Well Kids in Iowa program for behavioral analysis services, as well as an expansion of services provided by a children’s psychiatric medical care provider.

Rep. Timi Brown-Powers, D-Waterloo said the Senate had “gutted” the children’s psychiatric care bill, and urged her colleagues to support the amendment. She said while designating a state horse was the priority of the Senate last week, the children’s psychiatric care changes were “our priority in the House.”

The bill and amendments passed the committee unanimously. The bill’s companion, Senate File 2354, has not yet been discussed by the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Fry told the committee he believes the legislation presents the correct next step for behavioral health care in Iowa, and thanked committee members for the feedback given and conversations during the subcommittee meeting on the legislation.

“I believe nearly everybody in this building is supportive of this bill,” Fry said. “There is trepidation, there is a question out there around change. I certainly get that, I hear that. I am looking forward though to our behavioral health system to continue to take that next step for Iowans.”

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