The recent legislative session included measures to expand behavioral‑health services and to ease transitions from incarceration back into communities, officials told a Fargo recap forum.

Representative Carla highlighted a range of behavioral‑health investments in the Department of Health and Human Services budget, including additional funding for substance‑use‑disorder vouchers and existing programs such as Free Through Recovery and Community Connect. "We made some additional investments to the state hospital," she said, adding that the intent is to invest across the spectrum of care from prevention to institutional services.

Carla described two other health‑care changes: passage of a law capping the price of insulin for covered public‑employee plans and some large private plans, and adoption of statutory timelines to speed insurers' prior‑authorization responses so patients are not left waiting. "The law we passed related to prior authorization ... puts some parameters on that so that it moves things along in a specific amount of time," she said.

The criminal‑justice package discussed at the forum aims to strengthen reentry supports for people leaving incarceration: provisions noted by speakers included help obtaining state‑issued identification, restoration or activation of Medicaid on release, and expanded services for behavioral‑health needs. "When they leave incarceration and come back into their community, there's more services and support for them," Carla said, describing the packageas focusing on both the back end (reentry supports) and front‑end diversion options.

Ending

Speakers described the measures as incremental but purposeful steps to coordinate behavioral‑health funding with criminal‑justice reforms. They said implementation will require continued work to ensure services and insurer processes operate as intended.