WASHINGTON, DC — Senator John Fetterman, who has been outspoken about his own mental health struggles in the past, recently introduced a bill in Congress that would create a National Mental Health Commission.
If passed, the U.S. Senate Mental Health Committee Act of 2024 would provide “independent expert policy recommendations” to Congress and the Biden administration to improve affordability and access to mental health care services for Americans.
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The bill was co-sponsored by Minnesota Democratic Senator Tina Smith.
“Before I sought treatment for depression, I was the biggest skeptic, but it really has worked,” said Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat. “Mental health issues affect people in every corner of Pennsylvania and across the country — from Republican counties to Democratic counties, big cities to small towns.”
Fetterman continued, “I am committed to ensuring that everyone who suffers from mental illness has access to the same resources and treatment I did, and this bill will help make that a reality.”
During his first months as a U.S. senator, Fetterman publicly decided to check into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, on Feb. 15 to receive treatment for depression.
At the time of his treatment, Fetterman was still recovering from a stroke he suffered in May 2022 while campaigning for Senate.
“I really scared my kids. They were like, ‘Dad, we won, why aren’t we enough? Why are you so sad? Why are you more sad?'” Fetterman told The Associated Press in a December interview. “And it was hard to explain why I was sad. Of course, a 9-year-old couldn’t understand that. It was awful.”
Fetterman and Smith currently serve as members of the bipartisan Senate Mental Health Caucus.
Fetterman said if the bill passes, the committee would focus on the following themes in its first year:
- Coverage of mental health care services under federal health insurance plans, including mental health parity requirements.
- Reimbursement rates for mental health care services for mental health care providers.
- Workforce challenges include barriers to entry into the field and challenges faced by mental health care providers.
The committee would then submit an annual report to Congress and other federal agencies based on the research conducted during the year.
The proposed commission is endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the American Association of Suicidology, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the Children’s Hospital Association, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
“Too many people struggling with their mental health aren’t getting the care they need, and we need to do more,” NAMI Chief Advocacy Officer Hannah Wesolowski said in a statement. “Addressing our nation’s mental health crisis requires collaboration and leadership from Congress, federal policymakers and key stakeholders.”
The full text of the bill can be found here.
