Addressing the Mental Health Crisis in Congress: 5 Important Highlights from the President’s Proposal
In the President’s first State of the Union Address on March 1st, one of the main issues he tackled was the state of our mental health services in the United States.
His ambitious proposal made it a topic of priority to ensure that citizens receive behavioral health services with a trained professional as easily as they are able to address their physical concerns at their primary care physician.
Although mental health struggles have always been a concern, the COVID-19 pandemic has only made things worse. But the success of his proposal is dependent on the support of lawmakers within Congress.
However, with what appears to indicate support from both sides of the aisle, the implementation of the White House’s plan of action appears promising. For the first time in decades, interest in addressing the mental health crisis seems to be a priority for all.
Here are 5 of the highlights:
1. Insurance Coverage for Mental Health Conditions
Since 2008, a federal law called the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) has called for health insurers to cover mental health services to the same extent as physical conditions.
However, the enforcement of this law has ultimately been up to the states — leaving patients continually struggling to get coverage. In Biden’s proposal, the option for insurance to cover mental health services will no longer be optional.
One specific item brought before Congress in the President’s speech was for insurance coverage will allow all Americans with commercial insurance to be allotted three yearly visits to a behavioral health professional without a copay.1
The HHS will also be teaming up with state-specific insurance departments to identify and fix pertinent barriers, such as the availability of telehealth appointments. (2)
2. The Mental Health of Children
Due to the toll on children’s lives from the pandemic, Biden put a special emphasis on ensuring that the mental health of our children is a high priority.
Because of the drastic change in their education — and overall lives — the President’s plan proposes several different efforts to prevent any further harmful effects on kids.
A couple of noteworthy ideas in his plan include: (1)
Limiting Data Collection
In his speech, Biden asked Congress to limit data collection that social media collects on kids — thus cutting down on the targeted advertising that minors are seeing while browsing their favorite platforms.
Children advocacy groups have criticized social platforms in the past, claiming that their designs and overall content create a superstorm for addiction, opening the door for children to see harmful posts and ideas.
“We must hold social media platforms accountable for the national experiment they’re conducting on our children for profit,” he told Congress. “It’s time to strengthen privacy protections, ban targeted advertising to children, and demand tech companies stop collecting personal data on our children.”
Frances Haugen — a State of the Union guest and former Meta Platform Inc. employee — leaked internal documents, proving that the company is fully aware of the negative cognitions that social media has on a child’s mental health.
Moreover, various tech companies including Meta and TikTok, have recently adjusted their privacy controls for minors, due to outside pressure to take further action to protect kids browsing online. This change comes in lieu of the legislative proposals in the United States, as well as the United Kingdom’s standards for online platforms. (3)
Expanding School Services and Resources
In order to prevent a decline in the mental health of our children, this administration would like to implement a plan to expand services and resources offered at schools.
The proposal includes a $1 billion budget that would allow schools to hire additional counselors, social workers, psychologists, and other professionals who work hands-on with children. This generous budget is on top of the funding already provided in existing COVID relief bills. In addition, the President would like to pledge $50 million for pilot programs that would allow for mental health clinics to be set up in places such as libraries.
His plan also includes a goal to eliminate the obstacles schools are facing in regards to being reimbursed by Medicaid for the provided mental health services they give to their students. (4)
3. Funding for Mental Health Centers within Communities
For many years, the federal government has offered grants to help communities fund 24/7 mental health clinics. Now, the White Hous would like to provide permanent funding to create new and operate existing centers.
The budget to expand these mental health centers will be especially beneficial to vulnerable communities that would not have access to these types of services, otherwise. (2)
Biden’s ultimate goal is to make this a long-term investment — something the United States hasn’t seen since the 1980s, according to Dr. Thomas Insel, the country’s former director of the National Institute of Mental Health. (1)
4. Additional Support for Crisis Hotlines
In addition to the $180 million this administration has previously invested in staffing existing call centers, the HHS will be launching the “988” crisis response hotline later this year.
In essence, this will create a national network of crisis hotlines that have the manpower and capacity to answer calls and texts of all Americans seeking help through calling that number.
It is the hope of this administration that staffing these hotlines will provide an outlet for Americans to get the help they need without feeling the need to visit their local emergency departments.
The President is asking Congress for a $700 million budget to ensure that the “988” hotlines are properly funded to hire the appropriate amount of staff needed. (2)
According to Dr. Tami Benton, the president-elect of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, there is large amounts of evidence in support of these interventions and keeping families together.
5. Mental Health Stemming from the Workplace
According to Biden, there is a severe shortage of mental health professionals currently in the workforce. Because of this, he would like to create another $1 billion budget to generate interest for individuals to enter this line of work.
This includes:
Paid training
Scholarships
Loan forgiveness (1)
His plan would also like to address solutions to aid in the mental health of our frontline workers, as well. This includes a $135 million budget to help train providers in suicide prevention. In addition to that, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) plans to continue its grant programs that are focused on supporting workplace burnout and stress. (2)
Preparing Your Office for Future Patients
With the current administration opening the door to allow for easier access to mental health services, medical providers may soon begin seeing an influx of patients seeking out help for their undiagnosed behavioral health conditions.
Through the MHT Assessment Screener, you can feel confident in providing the correct treatment plan to your patient, based on the accuracy of receiving a proper diagnosis.
With MHT you can:
✓ Differentiate between similar conditions
✓ Set your patients up for success by giving them an appropriate plan of action
✓ Monitor progress and regression
Contact us today to learn how we can help you — and your patients.
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