HARTFORD – U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), co-author of the Mental Health Reform Act and member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, on Thursday welcomed newly announced actions by President Barack Obama’s Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Parity Task Force. In July, Murphy led 17 senators in urging the task force to consider a specific set of recommendations to improve compliance with parity laws and ensure that Americans receive equal access to behavioral health care.

Earlier this week, Murphy stood with Connecticut psychiatric and emergency room doctors in Hartford to call for mental health parity enforcement and the passage of his Mental Health Reform Act.

“America’s health care system shouldn’t treat illnesses of the mind differently than illnesses of the body – but it does. I’m thrilled the White House agreed to increase disclosure, oversight and enforcement to make bring us closer to true parity,” said Murphy.

“Fixing our mental health care system is a bipartisan issue. The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act signed by President Bush started us down the path toward parity, and I’m working hard to make sure President Obama can get us across the finish line before he leaves office. I know the Obama administration cares deeply about helping American families and understands how important mental health care services are to so many Americans,” added Murphy. “I hope Congress builds on these recommendations and passes my Mental Health Reform Act when it comes back in November.”

According to the White House, the Task Force’s actions and recommendations include: increasing funding to enable agencies to expand their capacity to conduct compliance audits; allowing the Department of Labor to assess civil monetary penalties for violations; new guidance identifying best practices in parity compliance and potential warning signs of non-compliance; and making clear that health plan disclosures include medical and surgical benefits in order to assess compliance. Murphy’s July letter to Cecilia Muñoz, Director of the Domestic Policy Council at the White House, outlined the most common issues their constituents experienced while attempting to access mental health treatment, and recommended that the White House consider taking action on six specific proposals to address some of the most significant barriers to mental health parity.

Murphy and U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-La.) introduced the comprehensive, bipartisan Mental Health Reform Act of 2015 in August 2015 to address America’s mental health crisis and ensure that individuals suffering from mental illness and substance use disorders receive the care they need. The Senators joined forces with HELP Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-Wash.) in introducing the Mental Health Reform Act of 2016 in March of this year. The bill passed unanimously out of the HELP Committee on March 16, 2016. 28 senators – 14 Democrats and 14 Republicans – have signed onto the bill. 

###