9-8-8 Crisis Response Act

Key Points

• The bill increases federal funding for the 9-8-8 crisis partnership program from $10 million to $100 million per year starting in fiscal year 2027, helping communities build better mental health emergency response systems.
• It expands the enhanced 85 percent Medicaid match beyond mobile crisis teams to also cover 9-8-8 call center operations and crisis stabilization facility services, and removes the current 5-year limit on this funding boost.
• It sets national standards for crisis stabilization facilities, requiring 24/7 operation and a rule against turning anyone away based on ability to pay, disability, criminal justice history, or place of residence.
• These facilities must allow police, EMS, and family members to bring people in directly, offering a medical alternative to jail or the emergency room for people in crisis.
• The Medicaid changes are written to apply retroactively as if they were part of the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act, meaning states could potentially claim the enhanced match back to that law's enactment.