On December 29, President Biden signed a $1.7 trillion federal government spending bill into law. This “omnibus” bill, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, funds government agencies and programs through 2023 and authorizes new policy reforms, including many mental health programs and policies supported by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP).

“Our children and families require a high quality, accessible and equitable pediatric mental health care system that does not exist today,” said Dr. Warren Ng, AACAP President. “AACAP applauds Congress for its significant investments in children’s mental health this year and looks forward to building upon these critical reforms next year.”

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, includes provisions that AACAP supports, including:

• Funding to states to support mental health and substance use disorder parity implementation,
• Grants that support adoption of integrated care models, including psychiatric collaborative care models,
• Continued Medicare telepsychiatry flexibilities through 2024,
• Additional Graduate Medical Education slots for psychiatry and psychiatry subspecialty residents,
• Increased funding for the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Pediatric Subspecialty Loan Repayment Program, and
• Increased funding for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Minority Fellowship Program.

Additional information regarding mental health reforms in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, can be found in AACAP’s Consolidated Appropriations Act 2023 Policy Priority Review.

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The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry promotes the healthy development of children, adolescents, and families through advocacy, education, and research. Child and adolescent psychiatrists are the leading physician authority on children’s mental health. For more information, please visit www.aacap.org