Health Care
HHS seeks fixes for addiction treatment gaps
The federal request asks what programs, policies and research have improved outcomes for addiction, mental illness and co-occurring disorders. It also flags the shortage of counselors and the need for better data and analytics.
HHS wants practical ideas, not broad opinions, on how to improve prevention, treatment and recovery. The agency says comments can help shape future guidance and programs using existing funding.
- HHS wants ideas on addiction and mental-health care.
- The request focuses on what has actually improved prevention, treatment and recovery.
- The department says it wants ideas it can use with existing funding.
- Comments are due July 5, 2026.
- HHS asks about stigma, counselor shortages and rural access.
People looking for addiction treatment, mental-health care or both are the audience for a new federal request from HHS. The department is asking for evidence-backed ideas on prevention, treatment and recovery, and comments are due July 5, 2026.
HHS says it wants research, programs and policies that have actually improved access to effective care for substance use, mental illness and co-occurring disorders, along with novel policy ideas and research gaps it can use with existing funding to further the Great American Recovery Initiative.
Evidence, not slogans
The notice reaches patients, people with lived experience, providers, community organizations, faith-based groups, policymakers and others. HHS is asking for comments on the research, development, programs and policies that have been most successful in prevention, treatment and recovery, and it wants suggestions for novel policy ideas and gaps in research that could be addressed and implemented.
The request is not a rule and does not create any obligation for the government to fund an idea that comes in. HHS says the goal is to use what it learns to support the Great American Recovery Initiative with existing funding.
The gaps HHS is naming
Among the questions HHS is putting out is how to reduce stigma around addiction treatment and recovery, and how to deal with the shortage of addiction and mental health counselors. The Health Resources and Services Administration, or HRSA, puts that shortfall at about 77,050 addiction counselors and 99,780 mental health counselors.
HHS is also asking how federal policy can help people in rural or underserved areas find affordable care covered by insurance. Another question looks at real-time measurement through data modernization, advanced analytics and artificial intelligence.