Chuck Grassley Touts Bill To Increase Access To Mental Health Care For First Responders

During remarks on the Senate floor Monday, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) spoke about his Fighting PTSD Act.

Transcript

00:00It is a month that's devoted to what we call Mental Health Awareness Month.

00:07So every day, we know Americans cope with depression, anxiety, loneliness, hopelessness

00:17without a support system to help alleviate the burden.

00:22To anyone who is struggling, you're not alone.

00:27The National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 988 to offer free and confidential support.

00:45Through telehealth, people can connect with mental health professionals from the comfort

00:52of their home, breaking down barriers like distance and stigma.

00:59As chairman of the Senate Finance Committee in 2020, I played a key role in making access

01:05to mental telehealth a permanent benefit in Medicare.

01:12State Medicaid programs and commercial insurance have likewise done the same.

01:19Today, two-thirds of telehealth is for mental health conditions.

01:27Last month, I introduced a bill with this title, Fighting Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Act.

01:38It takes an essential step towards ensuring first responders have easy access to mental health

01:46health care that they need and they deserve.

01:50I also recently sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to ensure information

01:58about inpatient psychiatric facilities is clear and accessible to better support patients with serious mental health illness

02:10in having access to high-quality, safe care.

02:15While the Centers for Medicaid and Medicaid Services has web-based tools to find and compare health care providers,

02:26that agency lacks the tools and the key information for comparing the quality and safety of inpatient psychiatric facilities

02:39so that those patients can make informed decisions.

02:44I will continue to make sure that no one faces their struggles alone and that high-quality care is always within reach.

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