Biden Urges Bipartisan Effort on Mental Health
Abstract
President Joe Biden outlined numerous priorities related to mental health and substance use disorder care during his State of the Union address. He emphasized the importance of working across the aisle to support patients in need.
In his State of the Union address, President Joe Biden pointed to numerous health policies, including improving mental health and addressing the opioid epidemic, that represent opportunities for members of both parties to work together.
APA applauded the inclusion of mental health in Biden’s address in a news release. “While the nation faces the opioid epidemic, an ongoing crisis in youth mental health, and barriers to access, mental health is truly an issue where bipartisan progress can and must be made,” APA’s statement reads.
During his address, Biden spoke about his four-part Unity Agenda, which focuses on tackling the mental health crisis, especially among youth; addressing the epidemic of opioid and other drug overdoses; ending cancer; and supporting veterans.
“Despite the division within American politics today, leaders on both sides of the aisle can agree that many of our citizens are struggling with mental health challenges, often without support,” said APA CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, M.D., M.P.A. “Congress’s recent spending bill represented a huge victory for psychiatry and the patients we serve. We must continue that momentum and provide much-needed support, especially to our youth, those with substance use disorders, and our health care workforce.”
Biden outlined specific actions his administration will take in his Unity Agenda, including the following:
Supporting the health care workforce: This year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will launch a new campaign to provide mental health and resiliency resources for health care organizations on how to support their workforces. In his Unity Agenda, Biden acknowledged that health workers experienced high levels of burnout, anxiety, and depression even before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Studies have shown that burnout [has] reached crisis levels, affecting up to 54 percent of nurses and physicians,” Biden’s Unity Agenda Fact Sheet states.
Strengthening parity enforcement: Though the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act was passed in 2008, many health plans are still not in compliance with the federal law. The administration will propose new rules this spring to ensure insurers are not imposing inequitable barriers to care and that mental health professionals are being paid on par with other health professionals.
Investing in crisis services and 988: The 988 Lifeline launched in the summer of 2022, and while it has increased access to crisis counseling for all Americans, experts emphasize that more work is needed to improve the country’s mental health crisis system. In the coming year, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will improve the Lifeline’s capacity by investing in the crisis care workforce, scaling mobile crisis services, and developing guidance on best practices in crisis response.
Expanding access to telehealth services: According to the Unity Agenda, HHS will triple resources dedicated to promoting interstate license reciprocity for delivering mental health services across state lines. The Department of Defense (DOD) will also expand the BRAVE program, a virtual behavioral health center providing services 24/7 to service members and their families located on federal installations across the globe.
Recruiting a more diverse mental health workforce: HHS will increase funding to expand the Minority Fellowship Program and recruit mental health professionals from Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Fighting the opioid epidemic: The administration will expand access to proven treatments, including buprenorphine, for opioid use disorder; launch a national campaign to educate young people on the dangers of fentanyl and how naloxone saves lives; and ensure every jail and prison across the country can provide treatment for substance use disorders.
Supporting veterans and their families and reducing veteran suicide: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will create new resources to improve suicide risk identification and increase counseling on the safe storage of firearms and lethal medications. ■
