Behavioral Health Matters to Counties

On March 13, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Make America Healthy Again – Enhancing Lifestyle and Evaluating Value-based Approaches Through Evidence (MAHA ELEVATE) Model.

Miami-Dade County, Fla. teaches children how to swim at no-cost and provide more community education around water safety, cutting down on what had been the leading cause of death for children ages 1-14.

Reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives in September 2025, the bipartisan Michelle Alyssa Go Act (H.R. 5462) aims to modernize the IMD exclusion and expand access to care.

Okeechobee County, Fla.’s public safety career programs are giving young people the tools to jumpstart their careers and helping address the county’s workforce shortages in fire rescue, dispatch and law enforcement. 

On March 6, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a letter to State Medicaid Directors with implementation guidance on six-month Medicaid renewals required under H.R. 1. 

Counties can help improve health outcomes by prioritizing prevention over treatment, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services told NACo Legislative Conference attendees.