The COMPLETE Care Act (SB 931) would amend Medicare payment rules to create temporary incentives for behavioral health integration in primary care. Specifically, it would increase Medicare payment amounts for certain behavioral health integration and collaborative care services furnished in 2027, 2028, and 2029, with the largest increase in 2027 and smaller increases in the following two years. The bill applies to services billed under specified HCPCS codes associated with behavioral health integration, collaborative care, and primary care behavioral health models, including successor or similar codes as determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
In addition to the payment incentives, the bill directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to contract with appropriate entities by January 1, 2026, to provide technical assistance to primary care practices that want to adopt behavioral health integration models. The bill identifies the Collaborative Care Model and the Primary Care Behavioral Health model as examples of covered integration approaches, while also allowing the Secretary to recognize other models. It also authorizes appropriations for fiscal years 2025 through 2029 to carry out the technical assistance program.
Impact
The bill would amend Section 1848 of the Social Security Act, which governs Medicare physician fee schedule payments, by adding a new payment incentive for behavioral health integration services and exempting those payment increases from budget neutrality adjustments for 2027 through 2029. It would also create a new federal technical assistance program for primary care practices seeking to implement behavioral health integration, funded by a direct appropriation. The practical effect would be to increase Medicare reimbursement for certain integrated care services and to support broader adoption of integrated behavioral health models in primary care settings.
Sentiment
Based on the available context, the bill appears to have a generally positive and bipartisan framing, as it was introduced by Senators Cortez Masto and Cornyn. There are no recorded committee transcripts or votes in the provided material, so there is no evidence of formal opposition or amendment activity in the available record. The bill’s purpose and structure suggest support for expanding access to integrated mental health and primary care services.
Contention
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials. Potential areas of debate, based on the bill text, could include the cost of the Medicare payment increases, the decision to waive budget neutrality for the incentive payments, and how the Secretary would define or expand eligible behavioral health integration models. However, no member statements, votes, or recorded objections are available here to identify who raised those concerns.