Across the country, states are reassessing how mental health systems are funded, regulated, and delivered, and Minnesota is no exception. In 2025, lawmakers introduced significant updates through HF2213 and SF1599, prompting wide interest in what these reforms could mean for those looking for care in Minnesota.
Because many people find understanding legal jargon so confusing, this article aims to help you understand the Minnesota behavioral health law changes in 2025. It does so by addressing the reasons that many states are revisiting behavioral health policies and explaining Minnesota’s mental health legislation HF2213 and SF1599. We’ll also focus on what these changes say about the mental health trends across the country and how AMFM Healthcare works to support mental health.
Founded in 2010, A Mission For Michael (AMFM) offers specialized mental health care across California, Minnesota, and Virginia. Our accredited facilities provide residential and outpatient programs, utilizing evidence-based therapies such as CBT, DBT, and EMDR.
Our dedicated team of licensed professionals ensures every client receives the best care possible, supported by accreditation from The Joint Commission. We are committed to safety and personalized treatment plans.
The Mental Health Crisis Across the Country
Recent data shows that one in five adults experiences a mental health issue every year, with one in 20 experiencing a severe mental health problem.1 And suicide among young people is the second leading cause of death in the U.S.2 Because of these concerning numbers, many states across the U.S. are revisiting behavioral health policies.
Not only are more people experiencing mental health issues, but, federally, big cuts were made to Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.3 There have also been budget cuts to crisis lines and school mental health grants. Because of this, the demand for mental health care in states has pushed lawmakers to re-examine how their systems are structured, funded, and regulated.
On top of budget issues, behavioral health care has been impacted by workforce shortages, long waitlists, and increased pressure on emergency departments. All of this has culminated in it being harder for people to receive timely and appropriate care.
These challenges have fueled a new wave of legislative efforts on the state level, including reforms to crisis response systems and behavioral care for children. In Minnesota, mental health access law changes have led to proposals that focus on emergency mental health services and improving care for children.
Why Minnesota Began Revising Behavioral Health Policies in 2025
Minnesota began adding new behavioral health policies in 2025 because of continued mental health concerns in the state. Studies and health surveys have shown that mental health concerns are widespread, with roughly one in five Minnesota adults reporting frequent mentally unhealthy days over a month.4 This is a major sign that mental health concerns are not uncommon in everyday life.
Included in this health survey, it was also reported that around 13% of adults report needing but not getting mental health care due to cost. These barriers to accessing care are affecting hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans.4 At the same time, suicide remains a serious public health issue in the state, with more than 800 deaths by suicide between 2021 and 2024.5
It’s not only adults who struggle with mental health in Minnesota. Youth have also reported increases in mental health struggles. A Minnesota student survey done in 2022 showed that almost 44% of students in grades 8, 9, and 11 reported going through mental distress.6 These numbers provide more proof of the need for support and early intervention services, which HF2213 resolves to fix.
What HF2213 Means for Behavioral Health Services in Minnesota
A major Minnesota health care policy in 2025 was HF2213. This bill updates the Children’s Mental Health Act and focuses on improving behavioral health care services for children in Minnesota.7
One of the first aspects of bill HF2213 is updating the qualifications and requirements for case managers working with children who are experiencing severe emotional disturbances. It includes new provisions that allow mental health practitioners to serve as case managers and outlines supervision requirements.
The next section expands the duties of case managers, allowing them to complete assessments with the child’s and parent’s consent. But the most significant addition is that it establishes a new grant program for intermediate school districts to improve mental health outcomes for kids and teens.
This grant gives mental health providers and school districts the ability to apply for funds to help them:
- Deliver mental health services
- Identify mental health conditions
- Provide treatment
- Support families
- Improve the capacity to address student mental health needs.8
Essentially, HF2213 seeks to enhance behavioral health funding in Minnesota from 2025 onward.
How SF1599 Changes Emergency Mental Health Services in Minnesota
Bill SF1599 is part of Minnesota’s crisis care reform, which modifies emergency health services. Rather than focusing exclusively on long-term system reform, SF1599 zeroes in on reducing barriers to crisis care and strengthening the state’s response infrastructure for both adults and children experiencing acute distress.
One aspect of the bill eliminates co-payments, coinsurance, and deductibles for mobile crisis intervention services, which will help people be able to access crisis support.9 It also increases access to mental health crisis services by:
- Promoting the 988 Lifeline and providing 24-hour telephone consultation for mobile crisis teams
- Expanding crisis services across the state with a focus on rural or underserved areas
- Establishing state standards for crisis services
The overall goal of the bill is to make crisis care more accessible, coordinated, and responsive. Shifting the focus away from reactive care and toward proactive care so people can get the services they need in a timely manner.
Why Minnesota’s Legislative Changes Are Important to Address Mental Health Needs
By making these policy changes, states like Minnesota aim to reduce reliance on emergency departments for behavioral health needs and strengthen pathways that connect people to continued support. Minnesota’s approach to improving youth behavioral health and expanding crisis services puts access in areas that have been sorely lacking the necessary care.
The legislation also highlights how funding rules and eligibility criteria can shape real-world access. Updates tied to public spending, including questions around behavioral health fund eligibility in Minnesota in 2025 and beyond, signal attempts to ensure that resources continue to flow toward behavioral health programs.
Basically, these policy decisions address how quickly and efficiently people receive help and expand services in areas that are lacking. By addressing youth mental health needs, Minnesota supports getting services before problems worsen. The same goes for expanding crisis services. When people are able to reach out for support, they’re more likely to get the help they need before it’s too late.
Why Policy Changes Matter Even if You Don’t Live in Minnesota
Policy changes matter, even if you don’t live in Minnesota, because they show a push toward new approaches and strengthening access for behavioral health services across the country. While HF2213 and SF1599 are specific to one state, the forces driving them are felt everywhere. This may give people hope that, as policymakers see what works and what still needs refining, changes will follow elsewhere.
Even if Minnesota isn’t where you live, its policy shifts show that there is movement toward improved behavioral health systems. By understanding these policy changes, you can push legislatures in your state to bring about bills for better, more coordinated mental health care.
Building Consistency, Safety, and Long-Term Support With AMFM Healthcare
As Minnesota’s behavioral health policies continue to evolve, AMFM Healthcare’s goal remains the same: to help people access timely, high-quality care. Legislative updates like HF2213 and SF1599 strengthen systems and expand access to services, but meaningful change depends on how those policies translate into everyday care for you and your loved ones.
At AMFM Healthcare, we provide personalized, evidence-based treatment to support people of all ages from crisis through stabilization and beyond. Our residential program works with Minnesota’s legislative policies to make sure everyone has access to the care they need. We’ll coordinate with schools and crisis services, as needed, to smoothly coordinate continued care.
If you or a loved one is exploring mental health care in Minnesota, AMFM Healthcare is here to offer clarity and guidance. Reaching out can be the first step toward finding care built around consistency, safety, and long-term support.
FAQs About Minnesota Behavioral Health Law Changes
With changes to policies and legislation becoming more commonplace across the country, you may have some ongoing questions about what this means for accessing treatment. This is why we’ve provided the following answers to FAQs on behavioral health laws – to make them as understandable as possible.
What Changes Did Minnesota Make to Behavioral Health Laws in 2025?
In 2025, Minnesota made several changes to behavioral health laws aside from the introduction of bills HF2213 and SF1599. Among the updates are:
- Requiring social media to include mental health warnings
- Increasing rates for outpatient and SUD services
- Funding for new beds at mental health treatment centers
- Requiring plans to continue medications people are currently receiving, despite any changes during the plan year10
These updates to Minnesota’s behavioral health laws improve access to care and responsiveness within the mental health care system.
How Does Minnesota SF1599 Impact Crisis Services?
Minnesota’s SF1599 expands access to crisis services by banning charging for these services and increasing 24-hour mobile crisis response. They have also promoted the 988 crisis hotline so people across the state receive the help they deserve. Essentially, SF1599 reflects a shift toward more accessible, coordinated, and community-centered crisis services in Minnesota.
What Behavioral Health Policies Passed in Minnesota in 2025?
Alongside HF2213 and SF1599, Minnesota also amended HF2143, which expands the criteria for a person with serious or persistent mental illness to receive case management and community support.11Minnesota has also expanded benefits for children with autism, increased reimbursement for telehealth services, and advocated to remove the IMD exclusion for Medicaid funding.12
What Is the Increasing Behavioral Health Treatment Act of 2025?
The Increasing Behavioral Health Treatment Act of 2025 is a bill introduced to expand access and funding for behavioral health services. This bill repeals the restrictions that previously prohibited federal payments under Medicaid for services provided in institutions for mental diseases. It also requires state Medicaid programs that cover IMD services to improve access to outpatient and community-based behavioral health care.13 This bill has not currently been passed, but was introduced to the House of Representatives.
How Does AMFM Healthcare Support HF2213 and SF1599 in Minnesota?
We support HF2213 and SF1599 by advocating for continued access to behavioral health services. We coordinate with schools, crisis response teams, mental health professionals, and other treatment centers to get people the support they need.
References
- National Alliance on Mental Illness. (2025, December 22). Mental health by the numbers. NAMI. https://www.nami.org/mental-health-by-the-numbers/
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). WISQARS Leading Causes of Death Visualization Tool .https://wisqars.cdc.gov/lcd/?o=LCD&y1=2023&y2=2023&ct=11&cc=ALL&g=00&s=0&r=0&ry=3&e=0&ar=lcd1age&at=groups&ag=lcd1age&a1=0&a2=199
- American Psychological Association. (2026, January 15). New and proposed policies affecting access to mental health care. https://updates.apaservices.org/new-policies-affecting-access-to-mental-health-care
- MacArthur, N. (2025, November 10). Mental health care in Minnesota: Examining access and affordability with MNHA data. State Health Access Data Assistance Center. https://www.shadac.org/news/mental-health-care-access-affordability-minnesota-MNHA-data
- One Minnesota Plan. (2022). Children’s Mental Health. https://mn.gov/mmb/one-mn-plan/measurable-goals/childrens-mental-health.jsp
- Smith, S. (2025, May 13). Preventable deaths by suicide steady in 2024. MN Department of Health. https://www.health.state.mn.us/news/pressrel/2025/suicide051325.html
- Minnesota Legislature. (2025, March 12). House File 2213 (94th Legislature): Department of Human Services behavioral health policy provisions modified, Children’s Mental Health Act updated, and intermediate school-linked behavioral health grant program codified [Bill text]. Minnesota Revisor of Statutes. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/94/2025/0/HF/2213/versions/0/
- BillTrack50.com. (2025). MN HF2213, 94th Minnesota Legislature: Department of Human Services behavioral health policy provisions modified, Children’s Mental Health Act updated, and intermediate school-linked behavioral health grant program codified. https://www.billtrack50.com/billdetail/1867267
- Minnesota Legislature. (2025). Senate File 1599 (94th Legislature): Emergency mental health services provisions modifications, mobile crisis intervention co-payments, coinsurance and deductibles elimination provision, and appropriation [Bill text]. Office of the Revisor of Statutes. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/94/2025/0/SF/1599/versions/latest/
- Molina, V. (2025, June 11). Minnesota Legislature passes mental health reforms in special session. NAMI Minnesota. https://namimn.org/minnesota-legislature-passes-mental-health-reforms-in-special-session/
- Minnesota Legislature. (2025). Minnesota Statutes § 245.461: Policy and citation. Office of the Revisor of Statutes. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/245.461
- United States Congressman Brad Finstad. (2025, November 7). Finstad Introduces the Restoring Inpatient Mental Health Access Act of 2025. https://finstad.house.gov/2025/11/finstad-introduces-the-restoring-inpatient-mental-health-access-act-of-2025
- National Association of Counties. (2025, June 27). U.S. House of Representatives introduces legislation to expand Medicaid coverage for behavioral health treatment facilities. https://www.naco.org/news/us-house-representatives-introduces-legislation-expand-medicaid-coverage-behavioral-health
