The first six months of 2025 have seen major policy pitches for behavioral health, scrutiny of psychiatric medications, and proposed Medicaid cuts. [Becker's Behavioral Health]

Here are the five biggest developments to know: 

1. Behavioral health providers are bracing for the impact of proposed Medicaid cuts. The House of Representatives passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a more than 1,000-page budget reconciliation bill, May 22. The bill cuts Medicaid spending by nearly $800 billion over 10 years, by implementing work requirements for beneficiaries, increasing redetermination frequency and cutting federal funding for states that provide Medicaid benefits to undocumented immigrants. The Senate has yet to vote on the reconciliation bill.
   
   An estimated 7.8 million people would lose Medicaid coverage by 2034 if the cuts passed by the House become law, according to the Congressional Budget Office

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