Testimony: Streamlining Medicaid Credentialing Amendment Act of 2025
Senior Policy Attorney Leah Castelaz testified before the DC Council’s Committee on Health regarding B26-0523 – Streamlining Medicaid Credentialing Amendment Act of 2025 (Streamlining Credentialing Act).
At Children’s Law Center, we see first-hand the current constraints on the Medicaid provider network. Unfortunately, many of our clients are not receiving the services our system should be able to provide them. Particularly in behavioral health services, our clients consistently report being unable to find providers offering the services they need – or if they manage to find a provider, the wait for an appointment is prohibitively long. Ensuring a system that providers can easily enter will help to grow and sustain a robust Medicaid workforce – a critical step to improving access.
Our testimony details our support for the Streamlining Credentialing Act and identifies several opportunities to further expand its impact. The Streamlining Credentialing Act is an important step forward in implementing a vital recommendation from A Path Forward: Transforming the Public Behavioral Health System for Children, Youth, and their Families in the District of Columbia.
A Path Forward for DC’s Public Behavioral Health System
A Path Forward: Transforming the Public Behavioral Health System for Children, Youth, and their Families in the District of Columbia, is a blueprint for creating a successful public behavioral health system — one that supports children and families and, in doing so, strengthens the entire community.