Health workforce shortages lead 2025 U.S. legislative priorities

WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES — As the United States grapples with widespread health workforce shortages, state legislators have made addressing these gaps a top priority in 2025.
At least 44 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico enacted 567 bills aimed at expanding and strengthening the healthcare workforce, with a particular focus on underserved areas.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), nearly one-third of these measures targeted behavioral health professionals, an area facing severe shortages.
Behavioral health workforce faces critical gaps nationwide
Approximately 37% of the U.S. population lives in areas lacking sufficient behavioral health professionals, such as psychologists, counselors, and social workers. Rural communities are especially hard-hit, comprising nearly two-thirds of these shortage areas.
In response, 38 states and Washington, D.C., passed 149 bills in 2024 to address this crisis. Legislative actions included establishing licensure processes for emerging occupations (Illinois and Alaska), creating financial incentives for recruitment (Georgia and Washington), and improving licensure portability (Iowa and Maryland) to make it easier for professionals to move between states.
Maternal and long-term care sectors see legislative focus
In addition to behavioral health, lawmakers also prioritized maternal health workforce development in 2024. At least 20 states passed 27 bills aimed at improving maternal care by certifying lactation consultants and doulas (New Hampshire and Rhode Island) and expanding access to maternal mental health resources (Kentucky and Illinois).
Long-term care facilities, particularly nursing homes and community-based care settings, are also struggling with staffing shortages. To address these challenges, 29 states enacted 56 bills that expanded the scope of practice for certified medication aides (South Carolina) and created licensure requirements for nursing home administrators (Wyoming).
Medicaid reforms address growing budget and access challenges
Medicaid also continues to be a central issue for state lawmakers, as it accounts for 18% of state spending and covers over 81 million people nationwide.
In response to growing demands on the program, legislators in 45 states enacted at least 233 bills in 2024. These reforms focused on increasing provider payment rates for behavioral health services (Illinois and Idaho), expanding benefits (Delaware and Indiana), and financing Medicaid’s state share to maintain budget stability (California and South Carolina).
New federal rules set for implementation in 2025 will further challenge states to modernize Medicaid systems while improving access to care.
Youth mental health crisis sparks urgent policy action
Moreover, the youth mental health crisis remains a pressing concern for state legislatures. Suicide is now the second-leading cause of death among youths aged 10 to 14.
In response, many states passed laws aimed at early intervention, mental health education, school-based services, and crisis response initiatives. These efforts aim to curb alarming trends in youth mental health issues that have worsened over the past decade.