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Committee backs bill to pay primary‑care providers for integrated mental‑health services; DHS estimates $10.59M state share
Summary
A bill to reimburse integrated mental‑health services in primary care settings moved from committee after DHS provided a mid‑range fiscal estimate: $37.59M total annual cost with a $10.59M state share. UAMS and insurers argued phased implementation and downstream savings could offset costs.
Sen. Hammer presented a bill to fund behavioral‑health integration in primary care and related settings, telling the committee the aim is to invest upstream in mental‑health services to reduce higher downstream costs such as inpatient psychiatric stays.
Mark White of the Department of Human Services provided a mid‑range fiscal estimate: a total computable cost of $37,590,000 annually with a state's share of $10,590,000. White cautioned that…
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