New Dem Health Care Task Force Pushes for Inclusion of the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act in End-of-Year Package
This comprehensive, bipartisan legislation will address the mental health and substance use disorder crises by providing life-saving recovery, care, and support programs for Americans
Today, the New Democrat Coalition (NDC) Health Care Task Force, led by Co-Chairs Terri Sewell (AL-07) and Kim Schrier (WA-08), sent a letter today to Congressional Leadership urging the inclusion of H.R. 7666, the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act, in an end-of-year package.
Read an excerpt of the letter here:
“H.R. 7666, the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act, turns the tide on this mental health crisis. This comprehensive legislation ensures more Americans have access to mental health care. It strengthens health parity laws; it reinforces critical prevention, care, treatment, and support programs; expands access to lifesaving medication-assisted treatment and provider training to help Americans recover from opioid addiction; and it improves Medicaid behavioral health services for children.
“The New Democrat Coalition has been laser focused on addressing this mental health crisis. H.R. 7666 includes ten New Dem endorsed bills and passed the House with broad bipartisan support– with 218 Democrats and 184 Republicans voting for this legislation. These problems need bipartisan solutions, and we urge you to take up this critical legislation before the end of the 117th Congress.”
You can read the full letter to Speaker Pelosi, Minority Leader McCarthy, Majority Leader Schumer, and Minority Leader McConnell here and below:
Dear Speaker Pelosi, Minority Leader McCarthy, Majority Leader Schumer, and Minority Leader McConnell,
As Members of the New Democrat Coalition, we write today to urge you to prioritize H.R.7666, the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act, for inclusion in an end-of-year package.
America is seeing an unprecedented rise in people struggling with mental health challenges. These problems have been growing for years and disruptions and loss from COVID-19 exacerbated this trend. More than one million Americans have lost their lives to drug overdoses over the past two decades, and increasing rates of anxiety and depression have been present in our communities for years. Recently, substance use and rates of suicidality have skyrocketed: last year, we lost almost 300 Americans a day to overdose and in 2020, we lost 126 Americans a Day to suicide.
H.R. 7666, the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act, turns the tide on this mental health crisis. This comprehensive legislation ensures more Americans have access to mental health care. It strengthens health parity laws; reinforces critical prevention, care, treatment, and support programs; expands access to lifesaving medication-assisted treatment and provider training to help Americans recover from opioid addiction; and it improves Medicaid behavioral health services for children.
The New Democrat Coalition has been laser focused on addressing this mental health crisis. H.R. 7666 includes ten New Dem endorsed bills and passed the House with broad bipartisan support—218 Democrats and 184 Republicans voted for this legislation. These problems need bipartisan solutions, and we urge you to take up this critical legislation before the end of the 117th Congress.
We thank you for your leadership in addressing this issue. The New Democrat Coalition looks forward to working with you to deliver for the American people and urges the inclusion of H.R. 7666 in any end of year package.
Sincerely,
NDC Health Care Task Force Co-Chairs Kim Schrier and Terri Sewell
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