Arizona SB 1451: felony murder; offense

Bill Text

SB1451 - 572R - I Ver 

 REFERENCE TITLE: appropriation; behavioral health provider rates

 State of Arizona

 Senate

 Fifty-seventh Legislature

 Second Regular Session

 2026

 SB 1451

 Introduced by 

 Senator 
 Shope

AN 
ACT

Appropriating monies to the ARizona 
health care cost containment system.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Appropriation; 
Arizona health care cost containment system; behavioral health providers; 
reimbursement rate increase

A. The sum of $60,000,000 
is appropriated from the state general fund in fiscal year 2026-2027 to the 
Arizona health care cost containment system for the purpose of providing a ten 
percent reimbursement rate increase for inpatient and outpatient behavioral 
health services to medicaid providers.

B. The reimbursement rate 
increase prescribed in subsection A of this section shall be applied as an 
increase to the provider reimbursement rates and is in addition to any existing 
or previously negotiated reimbursement rates paid by the Arizona health care 
cost containment system or any contracted medicaid health plan.

C. A contracted medicaid 
health plan may not offset, supplant or otherwise absorb the reimbursement rate 
increase prescribed in subsection A of this section by relying on existing 
negotiated rates that exceed the Arizona health care cost containment system 
fee-for-service reimbursement rates. The full reimbursement rate 
increase shall be passed through to behavioral health providers.

D. Reimbursement rate 
increases implemented pursuant to this section may not exceed applicable 
centers for medicare and medicaid services upper payment limits.

E. Monies appropriated 
pursuant to subsection A of this section shall be used solely for medicaid 
behavioral health provider reimbursement rate increases for inpatient and 
outpatient services and may not be reallocated, transferred or used to fund 
other service categories, administrative costs or programmatic purposes.