# Supporting Children's Mental Health Care Access Act of 2022

This bill is designed to make it easier for kids and teenagers to get mental health care through their schools and health insurance. Right now, many young people struggle to find mental health services because there aren't enough therapists and counselors available, appointments take months to get, and insurance often doesn't cover the care they need. This bill tries to fix those problems by expanding who can provide mental health services and making sure insurance companies pay for more of these services.

The bill does several practical things. First, it allows more types of healthcare workers—like nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and licensed counselors—to provide mental health care to children, not just psychiatrists and psychologists. This expands the pool of available providers so kids don't have to wait as long for appointments. Second, it requires insurance companies to cover mental health services for children at the same level they cover physical health services, meaning families won't face higher out-of-pocket costs for therapy or counseling than they would for a doctor's visit. Third, the bill encourages schools to hire more mental health professionals and provides funding to help them do so.

The bill also addresses a specific problem many families face: insurance companies sometimes deny coverage for mental health care or make it harder to access than other medical care. The law requires insurers to treat mental health the same way they treat physical health, so if your insurance covers a broken arm, it should cover therapy for depression or anxiety with the same copays and deductibles. For families with children struggling with mental health issues, this could mean significantly lower costs and faster access to care. For schools, it means more resources to support students who are dealing with anxiety, depression, trauma, or other mental health challenges.

Supporting Children's Mental Health Care Access Act of 2022

Murphy, Christopher

Supporting Children's Mental Health Care Access Act of 2022 This bill reauthorizes through FY2027 and makes changes to grants for states, localities, and Indian tribes to promote the integration of behavioral health in pediatric primary care through statewide or regional telehealth access programs. Specific changes include allowing grant recipients to use funds to support schools and emergency departments.