Murphy Delivers for Connecticut: The Mental Health Reform Act

For far too long, people with mental illness struggled with a health care system that was badly broken. Insurance companies wouldn’t cover treatment, the mental health system was completely separate from the physical health system, and there was a gaping need for more providers. When I got to the Senate, I made overhauling our nation’s mental health laws one of my top priorities.

My first step was to find a Republican partner. I teamed up with Bill Cassidy, a conservative from Louisiana. We both recognized that mental illness and addiction don’t operate along party lines, so we wouldn’t either. We made it it was a bipartisan effort every step of the way.

Next, I set out to talk to people all across Connecticut about the challenges they faced with the mental health system and what they wanted to see changed. I held more than 30 roundtables, town halls and discussions with people in every corner of Connecticut. I heard from parents, like Carol, who were trying desperately to get treatment for their kids with mental illness, and then had to battle with insurance companies to cover it. I heard from doctors, health care providers, social workers and addiction specialists. And I heard from people living with mental illness who shared their experiences and ideas with me.

The result of these conversations was the Mental Health Reform Act — a comprehensive, bipartisan rewrite of our nation’s mental health laws. The bill breaks down barriers between the physical and mental health care systems, establishes new programs for early intervention, improves access to mental health care for children, strengthens suicide prevention programs and forces insurance companies to cover physical and mental illness equally.

The Mental Health Reform Act was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama in 2016. It was one of my proudest moments in Congress.

Since then, Connecticut has seen results. Our state received millions of dollars in new funding for mental health and addiction services. Just last month, Connecticut was awarded a $10 million federal grant to promote integration and coordination between primary care services and mental health and substance use services.

Washington can be a frustrating place. But after years of working with Republicans, I’m proud that we were able to pass a law that is making a real difference for people suffering from mental illness and addiction in Connecticut. There’s a lot more we need to do, but I know that getting the Mental Health Reform Act signed into law was a huge step in the right direction.