NURS-6050 Week 4: Assignment – Legislation Grid and Advocacy Statement
Short on Time? Get Expert Nursing Help
Our nursing writers can handle your essay, care plan or case study from start to finish.
Introduction
Shortages of healthcare staff create significant barriers to mental health service delivery, and these shortages are most severe in rural and underserved communities. The More Behavioral Health Providers Act of 2025 addresses this gap by expanding Medicare incentive payments to behavioral health clinicians, including nurse practitioners, who practice in Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs). As Short (2022) discusses in the chapter on healthcare financing, Medicare reimbursement structures influence where providers choose to practice and what services are prioritized. This paper examines the stakeholders and policy implications of S. 683, and provides testimony in support of its passage.
Purpose Statement
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the More Behavioral Health Providers Act of 2025 and advocate for its passage by showing how Medicare HPSA incentive expansion can improve workforce retention, increase access to mental health services, and address health inequities in underserved populations.
Legislation Grid Template
Legislation Grid Template
Use this document to complete Part 1 of the Module 2 Assessment Legislation Grid and Testimony/Advocacy Statement
Health-related Bill Name
More Behavioral Health Providers Act of 2025
Bill Number
S. 683 (119th Congress)
Description
This bill expands eligibility for Medicare Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) bonus payments to include behavioral health providers—including psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, clinical social workers, psychiatric nurse specialists, and nurse practitioners—who provide mental health and substance use disorder services in designated shortage areas. Currently, only physicians providing primary care services are eligible for these incentive payments.
Federal or State?
Federal
Legislative Intent
To expand eligibility for Medicare Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) incentive payments to include behavioral health providers, including nurse practitioners, who provide mental health and substance use disorder services in designated shortage areas.
Proponents/ Opponents
Primary sponsors include Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) and Senator Steve Daines (R-MT). Professional organizations supporting the bill include the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) and mental health workforce advocacy groups.
Opponents: The bill is bipartisan and no formal opposition has been recorded as of December 2025, but the bill may face scrutiny from the Senate Finance Committee leadership, as chairs of committees with Medicare jurisdiction typically scrutinize proposals that increase federal healthcare expenditures carefully. Fiscal conservative legislators may raise concerns about expanding Medicare bonus payments without corresponding reductions elsewhere.
Target Population
Medicare beneficiaries who live in Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), particularly older adults and individuals in rural or underserved communities. Behavioral health providers, including nurse practitioners, are also affected NURS-6050 Week 4: Assignment .
Status of the bill (Is it in hearings or committees?)
Introduced in the Senate on February 24, 2025, and read twice before being referred to the Senate Committee on Finance. As of December 2025, the bill is in committee with no hearings scheduled NURS-6050 Week 4: Assignment
General Notes/Comments
This bill addresses the severe shortage of mental health care by providing financial incentives to more providers. Understanding the legislative process, as Short (2022) describes in the chapter on policy enactment, will help nurses to identify where advocacy efforts are most effective. In this case, they can support the bill through the committee process. The bipartisan sponsorship suggests that the bill may be advanced, but fiscal concerns may delay its passage. The bill aligns with existing Medicare HPSA bonus structures, which provide 10% payment increases for services rendered in shortage areas. Expanding this to behavioral health providers could improve retention and access in underserved communities.
Legislative Testimony / Advocacy Statement
Title: In Support of the More Behavioral Health Providers Act of 2025
Name: xx
Date: xx
Introduction
As a nurse, I have often thought that if I had a role in shaping health policy, access to mental health care would work differently for patients living in underserved communities. In clinical practice, shortages of behavioral health providers delay care, worsen symptoms, and increase reliance on emergency services. I support the More Behavioral Health Providers Act of 2025 because it directly addresses workforce shortages by expanding Medicare incentive payments to behavioral health clinicians practicing in Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs).
Purpose Statement
The purpose of this legislation is to expand eligibility for Medicare HPSA incentive payments to include behavioral health providers, including nurse practitioners, who furnish mental health and substance use disorder services in shortage areas. Staff shortages in these regions significantly limits access to care, and behavioral health clinicians working in HPSAs report lower anticipated retention when financial and professional supports are insufficient (Pathman et al., 2025). By strengthening financial incentives, this bill promotes workforce stability and improved access for underserved populations.
Position Statement
I support this bill because it addresses a structural policy barrier that patients deal with every day. Inadequate access to mental health services is not just a clinical issue, it is a workforce and reimbursement problem. Using Medicare incentives to promote behavioral health service delivery will improve practice and continuity of care in underserved areas.
Social Determinants of Health
Income, age, education, and location affect the impact of this legislation. Medicare beneficiaries with limited income often face transportation issues and reduced provider access. Older adults are especially vulnerable to untreated mental health conditions, which increase hospitalization risk and disease severity. Lower educational attainment can further reduce health literacy, making consistent access to providers very important. Gender also plays a role. Women, who represent the majority of Medicare beneficiaries over age 75, experience high rates of depression and anxiety, but have greater barriers to accessing specialized mental health care in rural areas where this workforce shortage is most acute. By incentivizing clinicians to practice in shortage areas, this bill addresses inequities tied to these social determinants.
Addressing Opposition
This legislation has bipartisan support, but opposition to this legislation is most likely to focus on concerns about increased Medicare spending. In response, I would emphasize that workforce incentives represent a targeted investment. Financial incentives are associated with improved provider retention in underserved areas, which supports earlier intervention and reduces reliance on much more expensive emergency and inpatient care (Russell et al., 2021). This bill builds on an existing Medicare incentive framework rather than creating a new entitlement, which will improve workforce stability while containing costs.
Conclusion
The More Behavioral Health Providers Act of 2025 aligns Medicare policy with evidence-based strategies and the realities of clinical practice. Expanding HPSA incentives to behavioral health providers strengthens the workforce, improves access to care, and supports equitable mental health services for underserved populations. Nurses play a critical role in advocating for policies that reflect patient needs and system sustainability.
References
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2025). Physician bonuses in health professional shortage areas (HPSAs) . https://www.cms.gov/medicare/payment/fee-for-service-providers/physician-bonuses-health-professional-shortage-areas-hpsas
Pathman, D., Zerden, L., Konrad, T., Shafer, A., Harrison, J., Fannell, J., & Lombardi, B. (2025). Job assessments and the anticipated retention of behavioral health clinicians working in U.S. Health Professional Shortage Areas. BMC Health Services Research, 25 (1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-025-12698-6
Russell, D., Mathew, S., Fitts, M., Liddle, Z., Murakami-Gold, L., Campbell, N., & Wakerman, J. (2021). Interventions for health workforce retention in rural and remote areas: A systematic review. Human Resources for Health, 19 (1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-021-00643-7
Short, N. M. (2022). Milstead’s health policy and politics: A nurse’s guide (7th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning. NURS-6050 Week 4: Assignment
U.S. Congress. (2025). S. 683 – More Behavioral Health Providers Act of 2025 . Congress.gov. https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/683/all-info
