Mental Health America Position Statement 71 Health Care Reform

The access to care can be described as the degree of fit between the patient and the health care system. Are the right services available, at the right time and place? Is care delayed, or are there long waits for appointments? When access to health care is compromised, people are more likely to use emergency room services inappropriately, or forego medical care entirely, which can lead to poorer health.
Mental Health America Position Statement 71 Health Care Reform consists of all families and individuals having access to mental health services that meets their needs. This entails minimizing barriers, providing multiple referral and service pathways, redesigning services that are more culturally and linguistically competent and evidence-based,

and expanding access in rural and inner-city areas to community-based systems of mental health and substance use services and supports that are integrated with medical care. MHA particularly advocates dedicating new funding “B4stage4.” To promote wellness and recovery, governmental initiatives should promote mental health and prevent mental illness and identify people at risk as soon as symptoms become apparent. MHA emphasizes that these reforms must be carried out in a way that encourages more providers to accept federal insurance, since the dearth of providers available to serve people with mental illnesses who are dependent on federal and state medic insurance is reaching crisis levels, especially in rural areas. The Mental Health America Board of Directors adopted this policy on June 14, 2016. It is reviewed as required by the Mental Health America Public Policy Committee expiration date December 31, 2021. (Position State 71 Health Care Reform, 2017)