August 10, 2022

Attached, please find an important Report, issued by the US Senate Finance Committee in March 2022.

Background:
In the fall of 2021, the Committee issued a public request for information that received 300 submissions from experts and advocates around the country. The Committee held hearings bringing together leaders, providers and patients who shared their stories and offered solutions. From these testimonies, and staff review of relevant data, Senate Finance Committee staff put together the attached Report that makes a series of recommendations to address the mental health and substance use disorder crisis facing our country.  This document will prove useful the  next time you respond to an RFP or submit a grant for funds.  It also lays the foundation for the work the Senate Finance Committee has taken on and will continue to fight for in the months and years to come.

Here’s what Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden wrote in his opening statement about the Report:

As Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, I am partnering with Ranking Member Mike Crapo on a major bipartisan effort to bring behavioral health care to the forefront of the U.S. health system by leveraging the programs under this Committee’s jurisdiction, including Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Ten members of the Committee – five Democrats and five Republicans – have stepped forward to lead on policy areas that will be vital for a path forward, including: Senators Debbie Stabenow and Steve Daines on the behavioral health workforce; Senators Catherine Cortez Masto and John Cornyn on care integration, coordination, and access; Senators Michael Bennet and Richard Burr on mental health parity; Senators Ben Cardin and John Thune on telehealth; and Senators Tom Carper and Bill Cassidy on improving care for children and young people.