Eliminate the gap between the number of people who need help and the people who get help. Inseparable expanded insurance coverage for people suffering from mental health in Illinois.
We are advocating for increased access to mental health care. States should:
- Require coverage decisions to be consistent with “generally accepted standards of care” and based on transparent, publicly-available treatment guidelines and service intensity/level of care tools developed by relevant clinical specialties;
- Prohibit limiting coverage to short-term symptom reduction for chronic conditions, which leads to cycles of relapse and costly emergency department visits and hospitalizations; and
- Close gaps in the continuum of care by ensuring parity with physical health for behavioral health intermediate levels of care (such as residential behavioral health services or intensive outpatient therapy) and emergency services.