Murphy, Cassidy Introduce Legislation to Reauthorize and Improve Upon Historic Mental Health Reform Act Before September Expiration

Press Release

U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.), members of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, on Tuesday introduced legislation to reauthorize the historic federal mental health and substance use disorder programs that were signed into law in 2016 as part of their Mental Health Reform Act before they are set to expire in September. The Mental Health Reform Reauthorization Act of 2022 also addresses COVID-19's devastating impact on the national mental health crisis, especially among children, by building upon the 2016 legislation to improve and expand those programs.

"The Mental Health Reform Act made important strides toward getting people the mental health care they need. But now, as we face a national mental health crisis exacerbated by two years of the pandemic, the programs we created are set to expire. That's why our new bill goes further than just reauthorization -- it doubles down on strengthening parity protections and expanding access to pediatric mental health. There's no time to waste, and I look forward to working with the HELP Committee to make sure it's signed into law," said Murphy.

"We all have loved ones affected by mental illness. The pandemic intensified our mental health crisis, especially amongst our children," said Cassidy. "Our bill preserves and improves upon the resources that have been a lifeline to so many Americans over the past five years."

Last fall, the senators solicited feedback from patients, families, health care providers, advocacy organizations, and state, local, tribal, and territorial governments on the effectiveness of the programs created by the 2016 legislation and areas for improvement to inform the drafting of this legislation. Specifically, the Mental Health Reform Reauthorization Act of 2022 would:

Strengthen existing mental health and substance use disorder parity laws

Authorizing $25 million to support states' ability to enforce existing laws around mental health and substance use disorder parity;
Preventing health insurance plans that cover frontline workers from refusing to provide parity coverage.
Improve community mental health services by:

Authorizing a significant increase in Mental Health Services Block Grant (MHBG) funding for states to provide mental health services and promoting increased quality of programs for those with a Serious Mental Illness (SMI);
Reauthorize HRSA's Promoting Integration of Primary and Behavioral Health Care (PIPBHC), which places behavioral health specialists in primary care offices.
Expand access to pediatric mental health care by:

Promoting increased mental health care access in schools and emergency departments through HRSA's Pediatric Mental Health Care Access Program (PMHCAP);
Expanding training in behavioral health for pediatricians and other primary care providers who treat children and adolescents through HRSA's Primary Care Training and Enhancement Program;
Reauthorizing SAMHSA's Programs for Children with Serious Emotional Disturbances.
Increase recruitment of a diverse mental health workforce by:

Expanding SAMHSA's Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) through increased funding and inclusion of addiction medicine physicians to meet the need for a diverse Substance Use Disorder treatment workforce;
Reauthorizing HRSA's Mental and Behavioral Health Education and Training Grants to increase the supply of behavioral health professionals with a special focus on helping children, adolescents and youth at risk for behavioral health condition.
Provide a path to recovery for vulnerable individuals by:

Ensuring those served by SAMHSA's Grants for Jail Diversion Programs (JDP) are treated the same as any other patient by preventing unnecessary destabilizing medication changes;
Empowering SAMHSA's Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) program to support access to desperately needed housing for the unhoused with mental illness.
The bill is endorsed by:

American Academy of Pediatrics

American Association for Community Psychiatry

American Association for Emergency Psychiatry

American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

American Occupational Therapy Association

American Psychiatric Association

American Psychological Association

American Society of Addiction Medicine

Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors

Autism Speaks

Behavioral Health Association of Providers

Bipartisan Policy Center

CADA of Northwest Louisiana

California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals

Connecticut Certification Board

Connecticut Council of Family Service Agencies, Inc.

Connections Health Solutions

Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance

Inseparable

International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium

Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute

Mental Health America

National Alliance on Mental Illness

National Association for Behavioral Healthcare

National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors

National Board for Certified Counselors and Affiliates, Inc. (NBCC).

Otsuka

Partnership to End Addiction

Schizophrenia & Psychosis Action Alliance

Treatment Advocacy Center

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