WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN), a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, on Tuesday released the following statement on the Biden-Harris administration’s recent actions to boost private insurance coverage for mental health care for 175 million Americans. Even though it’s already law that insurance companies must cover mental health as they do physical health, many don’t comply, and insured Americans are nearly four times as likely go out-of-network and pay higher fees for mental health care than for physical health care.
“We need to treat mental health with the same urgency we treat physical health, and that means making sure everyone has access to the care they need,” said Sen. Smith. “I’m glad to see the Biden-Harris Administration taking significant steps to hold health insurers accountable when they violate mental health parity requirements. Whether it’s treatment for a substance-use disorder or depression, mental health care is health care, and Americans should be able to access quality, affordable treatment. This rule brings us closer to the goal of ensuring Americans are getting coverage from their insurer when they need it.”
This rule strengthens the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act by reinforcing the law’s purpose to remove barriers for anyone seeking coverage from their insurer for mental health treatment services. The landmark law is named after former Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone, who was instrumental in its passage in 2008.
Senator Smith remains committed to carrying on Senator Wellstone’s legacy and has been a leader in the fight to make mental health care more affordable and accessible. This final rule comes after Senator Smith sent a letter in June, along with her colleagues in the Senate, urging tougher enforcement of mental health parity laws. Senator Smith has introduced legislation in 2022 to build on the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act and further incentivize compliance and strengthen the consumer protections. In 2018, Smith passed her bipartisan mental health legislation, the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, which gives mental health professionals greater flexibility to practice in schools and at community-based organizations. She has also led efforts to expand mental telehealth services in rural communities, including the Health Care at Home Act, which would provide telehealth parity for mental and physical health services.
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