Provisions of the 2010 health reform law, combined with mental health parity legislation, promise to make mental health care available to millions more Americans in 2014 through both private insurance and Medicaid. But, the sweeping changes that these laws make to financing for mental health care will require states, mental health providers, private insurers and patients to make major adjustments. As more people gain coverage, mental health experts fear that access to care could become an issue, and members of Congress already are introducing legislation to address this concern.
Mental health problems have been rising in the public consciousness -- with recent mass shootings, with the recession and with the passage of the health reform law. This toolkit offers links to many resources on the scope of the nation's mental health problems and promising ways of addressing them. Includes a list of experts and websites. Supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
An estimated one out of five adults in the U.S. suffers with mental illness. Some 11 million adults reported an unmet need for mental health care in the past year, a situation no doubt made worse by the recent recession and higher-than-normal unemployment.
The health reform debate has heated up, featuring proposals from both the House and Senate. However, little of the discussion has focused on the area of mental health and substance use disorders. More than 33 million Americans are treated annually for mental health and substance use disorders. Mental illness and substance use disorders can have a profound impact on a person’s overall health and well-being. The passage of the Wellstone-Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act in 2008 indicated that access to mental health and substance use disorder services is a priority. Yet there are concerns that the cost of accessing this care could rise as mental health parity regulations are implemented concurrent with the possibility that health reform legislation might include expansion of access to mental health services.
For decades, it was routine in the U.S. to house individuals with disabilities in institutions. Those with mental illnesses, for instance, were placed in “insane asylums,” as they were once called. The U.S. Supreme Court took a firm step toward ending this practice five years ago. In the Olmstead v. L.C. decision, the court found that institutional isolation of individuals with disabilities was, under certain circumstances, a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
