Biden's plan to expand mental health treatment shows signs of bipartisan support – BenefitsPro
The White House says Biden’s budget will call for insurers to cover “robust behavioral health services with an adequate network of providers.” (Photo: Shutterstock)
Health insurance plans would have to cover three mental health visits a year at no added cost to patients under a proposal unveiled by President Biden during this week’s State of the Union address.
“And let’s get all Americans the mental health services they need,” Biden said in the speech. “More people can turn for help. And full parity between physical and mental health care if we treat it that way in our insurance.”
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Biden’s plan includes a special focus on school-age youth. Kids adapted differently to remote learning in 2020, the first year of the pandemic, and those who lacked technology resources were in danger of falling behind. Isolation was hard on teenagers. The White House said Biden’s upcoming budget will call for $1 billion to help schools hire counselors, psychologists and other health workers. The budget also will propose $5 million for research on the effects of social media on kids. Reflecting bipartisan sentiment in Congress, Biden is calling for curbs on social media companies’ ability to collect data on children.
The coverage policies of health insurance plans also would get closer attention. The White House says Biden’s budget will call for insurers to cover “robust behavioral health services with an adequate network of providers.”
For months, lawmakers have been signaling interest. In the Senate, the Finance Committee and the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee have held hearings with a bipartisan focus. In the House, the Energy and Commerce Committee and the Ways and Means Committee also held hearings. Those four panels do most of the work of Congress on health care. Such sustained attention is rare, advocates say.
“I cannot remember a time when every committee of jurisdiction has held hearings on mental health,” said Charles Ingoglia, president of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. “Sometimes we have gone years between dedicated hearings on mental health.”
Now the White House is trying to draw lawmakers out, weaving strands from the Capitol Hill debate into an ambitious package and adding its own priorities. “I think he highlighted a few key areas where we have good work to do,” said Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. “He spoke to the issue of mental health and what more needs to be done.”
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