CEO Update 260
2026 NABH Exhibitor and Sponsor Guide Ad Deadline is Today, Jan. 30!
This is a reminder that all advertisements to be included in NABH’s 2026 NABH Exhibitor and Sponsor Guide are due today, Friday, Jan. 30.
The Exhibitor and Sponsor Guide provides an opportunity to showcase your organization’s products and services, elevate your brand visibility, and reach key decision makers. Distributed to all registrants at the 2026 NABH Annual Meeting, the Exhibitor and Sponsor Guide highlights logos, organization descriptions, and additional advertisements.
The association will send the guide to all NABH members after the meeting and post it on the NABH Annual Meeting webpage and Resources page.
Be sure your organization is included today!
Congress Struggles to Reach Government Funding Deal Before Likely Shutdown
On Thursday, Jan. 29, seven Senate Republicans joined all Democrats in blocking a procedural motion forcing the majority and the White House to work on a compromise funding agreement to avoid a government shutdown. Following House passage of a $1.3 trillion spending bill to fund most of the federal government last week, Senate Democrats followed through on their vow to block the package over Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding. The compromise stripped funding for DHS from the six-bill package and replaced it with a two-week stopgap measure to allow for negotiations over immigration and custom enforcement restrictions.
The Senate convenes today, Jan. 30, to attempt to clear the funding package, which includes $2.79 billion for behavioral health programs under the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and health extenders, including delaying disproportionate share hospital (DSH) cuts through 2027 and extending Medicare telehealth flexibilities through Dec. 2027. The package does not include any extension of the expired enhanced ACA premium tax credits.
Senators have until tonight, Friday, Jan. 30, to secure a deal before the government enters a partial shutdown, but the amended package must go back to the House of Representatives, which is in recess until Monday, making a shutdown almost certain. A partial shutdown will occur because six of the 12 annual spending bills for other major federal departments have already been signed into law. If the shutdown is brief, few, if any, government services will be interrupted.
White House Releases Executive Order Launching a Substance Use Initiative
The White House, on Thursday, Jan. 29, released a new executive order, Addressing Addiction Through the Great American Recovery Initiative. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Kathryn Burgum, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s wife and former first lady of North Dakota, will chair the effort. The administration has appointed Ms. Burgum, who is in recovery from alcohol use disorder and as first lady advocated for substance use treatment access and stigma reduction, as senior adviser for addiction recovery.
An executive director will manage the initiative and report to the assistant to the president for domestic policy. This initiative will include officials or their designees from several federal agencies, including the departments of justice, interior, labor, education, veterans affairs, and the Office of National Drug Control Policy. The executive order also names the assistant secretary for mental health and substance use, the head of SAMHSA, as part of the initiative, but the White House has not nominated anyone to fill this role.
According to the executive order, the initiative will “coordinate the federal government’s response to the addiction crisis, including by better aligning relevant federal programs, setting clear objectives, and providing data-driven updates to the public on progress towards meeting these objectives.” The initiative will also increase awareness of substance use disorder, advise department and agency leadership on substance use programs and grants, and consult with states, tribes, localities, and other entities to support access to treatment and “celebrate individuals going through the recovery process.”
Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission Held January Public Meeting
On Thursday, Jan. 29 and Friday, Jan. 30, the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) held its first public meeting of 2026.
Among topics relevant to NABH members, MACPAC commissioners discussed findings from Chapter 2 of their June 2025 Report to Congress, which focuses on appropriate access to residential behavioral health treatment for children and youth. To address concerns raised in that report, MACPAC recommended three policy options:
- Congress will require HHS to develop and maintain a directory of youth residential treatment facilities.
- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will report on the use of residential treatment services.
- CMS will revise federal regulations to establish minimum requirements for discharge planning processes.
During the public meeting, MACPAC also discussed considerations and policy options for implementing Medicaid community engagement requirements, children and youth with special health care needs transitions to adult coverage, behavioral health in Medicaid and the state Children’s Health Insurance Program, and Medicaid for justice-involved youth transitions to the community. NABH will monitor these policy recommendations, engage with MACPAC and CMS, and provide updates to NABH members.
Outpatient Drug Acquisition Cost Survey Resources
HHS is requiring hospitals to complete the Outpatient Drug Acquisition Cost Survey (ODACS). ODACS collects the acquisition costs of certain outpatient drugs and biological products that hospitals paid under the Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) purchase. CMS will consider these data when determining the appropriate payment rates for hospitals paid under the OPPS.
All hospitals paid under the OPPS between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025, must submit data by March 31, 2026. For more information on the ODACS, please see the OPPS ODACS webpage, FAQs, or contact OPPSDrugSurvey@cms.hhs.gov with questions.
Fact of the Week
A recent JAMA survey found that daily generative AI use is linked to a 30% increased likelihood of moderate depressive symptoms by users. Out of 20,847 US adults polled, 10.3% reported using generative AI daily.
For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond.