President Biden will seek $700 million for expanded mental health programs

President Joe Biden’s new plan to expand mental health and drug abuse treatment would sink hundreds of millions of dollars into suicide prevention, mental health services for youth, and community clinics providing 24/7 access to people in crisis.

Unveiled as part of his State of the Union speech, Biden’s plans to shrink America’s chronic gap in care between diseases of the body and those of the mind. Health insurance plans would have to cover three mental health visits a year at no added cost to patients.

The White House said in a statement: “Our country faces an unprecedented mental health crisis among people of all ages. Two out of five adults report symptoms of anxiety or depression.  Even before the pandemic, rates of depression and anxiety were inching higher. But the grief, trauma, and physical isolation of the last two years have driven Americans to a breaking point.”

“Our youth have been particularly impacted as losses from COVID and disruptions in routines and relationships have led to increased social isolation, anxiety, and learning loss.  More than half of parents express concern over their children’s mental well-being.”

Some Republicans have offered initial support. “I think he highlighted a few key areas where we have good work to do,” Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said in her reaction to Biden’s speech. “He spoke to the issue of mental health and what more needs to be done,” she added.

“And let’s get all Americans the mental health services they need,” Biden said in his speech Tuesday night. “More people can turn for help. And full parity between physical and mental health care if we treat it that way in our insurance.”

That’s been the unrealized goal of federal health care laws dating back nearly 25 years, said Hannah Wesolowski of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. “This represents an important agenda that impacts every American,” said Wesolowski, referring to Biden’s plan.