The bill, identified as Substitute Senate Bill No. 315 with File No. 257, aims to integrate the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) model into the Medicaid program. The bill defines a CCBHC as a state-certified clinic that provides a range of behavioral health services, including substance abuse and mental health services, crisis management, peer support, and partnerships with other health and social service providers. The bill mandates that by October 1, 2024, the Commissioner of Social Services, in consultation with the Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services, must seek federal approval to join a Medicaid demonstration program supporting CCBHCs in multiple states as per Section 223 of the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014, as amended by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. The plan for the Medicaid demonstration program must include a system for certifying clinics, reporting on the clinics' impact on access to care and state costs, and a prospective payment system with incentives for quality care, triannual rate adjustments based on the Medicare Economic Index, and rate modifications based on a clinic's scope of services.

The bill also requires the Commissioner of Social Services to file a report on the plan by August 30, 2024, with the General Assembly's committees on human services and public health. If the plan receives federal approval, annual reports on the program's impact on access to care and state costs for behavioral health care must be filed starting January 1 for the duration of the demonstration program. The bill includes a fiscal note indicating that the Department of Social Services may incur costs of up to $750,000 for staff and consulting to develop and submit the plan. The bill is effective upon passage, and the title of the bill has been changed by the Legislative Commissioners.