Congresswoman Matsui Statement on Markup of Mental Health Legislation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday November 3, 2015
CONTACT:
LAUREN DART
(202) 225-7163
Congresswoman Matsui Statement on Markup of Mental Health Legislation
Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-06) issued the following statement at the House Energy andamp; Commerce, Health Subcommittee markup of H.R. 2646, the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act:
"Today is an important day. Today we look closely at a bill aimed to achieve comprehensive mental health reform. This is an opportunity for Members of the Subcommittee to have a serious discussion about the next steps we can take to reform our nation's broken mental health system.
"And the mental health system is broken. We all agree that we can and should be doing more to address mental illness.
"No bill is perfect. I understand that. And just because a bill isn't perfect, doesn't mean that we should throw it out the window. That is not what we're asking for. However, the words on the paper matter. And we must get this right. We owe it to those living with serious mental illnesses, and their families and loved ones, to get this right.
"Let me be clear. This is not a partisan issue. I have not raised concerns about provisions of the bill because I am a Democrat. I have raised concerns because I want to pass a bill that truly helps people.
"At the crux of the issue with our broken mental health system is that mental illness has historically been treated as a moral failing rather than a disease. The mentally ill have been pushed to the edges of society and their families have been blamed and left with no tools to help them.
"We used to do this with physical illnesses, if to a lesser degree. The word "cancer" or "breast cancer" used to be taboo, but look where we are today. We've not only reduced the stigma of cancer to nearly non-existent, but we've also committed to increasing available funding for research and treatment.
"This progress wouldn't be possible if we thought that cancer was patients' or their families' fault. It wouldn't be possible if we currently treated cancer patients outside the health system. It wouldn't be possible if cancer care wasn't covered by regular health insurance, and it wouldn't be possible if we waited until cancer patients were in an acute crisis and then boarded them in emergency departments until a bed became available.
"The focal point of the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act we are considering today is explained in the title: crisis.
"Assisted outpatient treatment or AOT is designed for patients for whom the system has consistently failed, and who have no other options. For patients who needed treatment and community services and support much earlier. Similarly, fixing the ban on Medicaid payment for Institutes of Mental Disease or IMD's that have greater than 16 beds would provide relief to hospital emergency departments that currently have nowhere to send patients in crisis.
"However, AOT and reforming IMD are end-stage solutions within a broken system. What I want to do is reform the broken system so that less people get to the point of needing crisis care.
"To do this, we must invest in community systems and support, enable people to self-direct recovery, and reduce stigma so that providers and families have the tools to help their loved ones at the first sign of illness. We can't miss the opportunity to do that.
"We all understand the importance of prevention when it comes to physical health, but it is time we apply that same thinking to mental health. We would never say that we should not research or treat Stage 4 cancer. But we would also never focus primarily on the end or crisis stages of that disease.
"These aren't just words. I am, and have been, committed to investing in our systems and finding ways to work together to reform them. In 2014, the Excellence in Mental Health Act demonstration project that I co-authored with my Republican colleague on this Subcommittee, Rep. Lance, passed into law. This project is providing $1 billion dollars in new Medicaid funding for community behavioral health, including crisis services. This is a great step forward, but we need to do more, and I will work across the aisle to do that.
"I look forward to discussing the legislation before us today and continuing to work with Rep. Murphy and Members of the Committee to both make improvements to the bill and to move it forward."
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