Issue Position: Mental and Behavioral Health/Substance Abuse

Issue Position

With an estimated 15 to 18 percent of Americans, including nearly 10 million children, suffering from a diagnosable mental disorder, I recognize how important it is to address this vital part of healthcare. I am determined to do all that I can to increase understanding about mental and behavioral health and improve access to quality care and treatment for New Yorkers and all Americans.

Mental Health and Aging

Although most older adults enjoy good mental health, nearly 20 percent of Americans age 55 or older experience a mental disorder. It is anticipated that the number of seniors with mental and behavioral health problems will almost quadruple, from 4 million in 1970 to 15 million in 2030. As a means of addressing mental health issues in seniors, I am a proud sponsor of the Positive Aging Act along with Senator Collins (R-ME) and Representatives Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL). Senator Collins and I successfully worked to include provisions from the Positive Aging Act into the Older Americans Act Amendments of 2006, which reauthorized the Older Americans Act in late 2006. These Positive Aging Act provisions will assist seniors with their mental healthcare needs and bring increased emphasis to home and community based delivery of critical services through an innovative concept pioneered in New York called Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities or NORCs. During the 110 th Congress, Senator Collins and I will introduce the Positive Aging Act of 2007 to amend the Public Health Service Act, in order to make mental health services for older adults an integral part of primary care services in community settings and to extend them to other settings where seniors reside and receive services.

Mental Health and Substance Abuse Parity

Too many Americans with mental disorders do not have access to health insurance. Many health plans discriminate against those with mental disorders by limiting mental health and substance abuse treatement. In order to address these disparities, I have co-sponsored two pieces of legislation on these issues. The first is the Mental Health Parity Act of 2007, which builds on the mental health parity provided to federal employees almost a decade ago during the Clinton Administration. This new legislation is another critical step towards improving mental health treatment for millions of Americans, who by virtue of their condition have had to struggle to be treated fairly. For health insurance plans that include mental health benefits, the Mental Health Parity Act of 2007 requires mental health parity that is equal to that provided through the Clinton Administration executive order.

I am also the lead democratic sponsor of the Help Expand Access To Recovery and Treatment Act (HEART) with Senator Coleman (R-MN). This legislation would provide equitable access to substance abuse treatment services for 23 million adults and children who need treatment for the disease of alcoholism and other drug dependencies. This bill prohibits health plans from imposing limitations or financial requirements on substance abuse treatment different from other health services. This bill does not mandate coverage of substance abuse treatment; it only requires that if an insurer offers coverage, it must be on par with other medical and surgical benefits.

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