How the recent mental health services bill could impact you and your family.
In July, the House of Representatives passed legislation on mental health services—a move that’s being hailed as “the first effort by lawmakers to specifically tackle federal policies on serious mental illness.”
The bill would reorganize the federal agency overseeing mental health policy, bolster patient access to behavioral health care, and promote better coordination between mental and physical health care.
The bill’s main author was one of Pennsylvania’s own: Rep. Tim Murphy, who has been advocating to improve the state of mental health in the U.S. since 2012’s tragic Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
So how would this bill impact you and your family? Major effects nationwide include:
- It would boost enforcement of private health insurers, making sure that covering mental health care is on an equal footing with physical health—ensuring that your mind is given as much value as your body.
- It would require the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary to increase transparency and modernize regulations on handling privacy—giving you more access to mental health services information.
- It would change the grant-review process and clarify that providers can bill Medicaid for treating patients’ mental health and physical health—ensuring a person’s whole health is a priority in government programs.
- It would support medical research to help identify the most effective policies and practices in promoting excellence in mental health care—giving you confidence in the treatment and care you receive.
