Trump Administration Places Behavioral Health Integration at Top of Health Policy Reform Agenda – Will Begin Paying Primary Care Doctors in Advance for Delivering Integrated Mental Health Services.

On Monday July 14, 2025 the Department of Health & Human Services’ Center for Medicare & Medicaid released a Proposed Rule for Calendar Year 2026 Medicare Physician Payment Fee Schedule in which integration of mental health services in primary care is a cornerstone feature of improving the prevention and management of chronic illnesses. CMS announced that beginning in calendar year 2026, the federal government’s Medicare program will pay primary care clinicians an additional prospective, upfront monthly payment for delivering evidence-based integrated behavioral health services in their clinics. CMS said:
“Patients with physical chronic health conditions frequently experience related BH concerns and achieve better management and improvement of their physical chronic conditions when these behavioral health concerns are also addressed.”
“Evidence demonstrates that integrating BH with primary care leads to improvements, including reduced depression severity and enhanced overall patient experience of care.”
This is another indicator the Trump Administration has placed the integration of mental health services in medical settings at the top of its health reform policy agenda and has acknowledged integrated behavioral health’s key role in combatting the nation’s chronic disease crisis.

https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/calendar-year-cy-2026-medicare-physician-fee-schedule-pfs-proposed-rule-cms-1832-p

https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/cms-proposes-physician-payment-rule-significantly-cut-spending-waste-enhance-quality-measures-and