LaPointe Advances Critical Mental Health Legislation Through House

CHICAGO – State Rep. Lindsey LaPointe, D-Chicago, has successfully advanced several measures that will expand insurance policies’ coverage of critical care needs, including mental health and substance use treatment and care.

“We are making significant progress on healthcare access this spring – including mental healthcare,” said LaPointe. “All too often, people who have insurance can’t find available providers — and when they do, they have to jump through hoops, go through step therapy, wait for prior authorization, or face limits on family therapy — all of which render timely healthcare and mental health care just out of reach.”

Despite advancements in mental health and substance use (MH/SU) parity and access, discriminatory insurance practices continue, pushing behavioral healthcare providers out of insurance networks due to low reimbursement rates and burdensome contracting processes. LaPointe’s House Bill 4475, or the Strengthening Mental Health and Substance Parity Act, sets a minimum reimbursement from private insurers for in-network MH/SU care to put behavioral healthcare on par with physical healthcare and attract behavioral health providers back to insurance networks.

“Illinois residents should be able to use the insurance they already have to access the care they need — including substance use disorder treatment and trauma support — and House Bill 4475 will grow behavioral health insurance networks so Illinoisans can access timely behavioral health support.”

To reduce the need for involuntary inpatient commitment and instead increase access to community-based mental health services, LaPointe’s House Bill 5351 reduces barriers to involuntary outpatient treatment for people with extremely acute mental health issues.

“We should promote mental health care access in the least restrictive environment, and this bill finetunes standards for involuntary outpatient treatment options, opening up new doors to support our neighbors with acute mental health issues for better and safer human outcomes”

Additionally, LaPointe is a cosponsor of House Bill 5395, which delivers a series of major reforms to make health care coverage more transparent and affordable. The new Health Care Protection Act would create a rate review process requiring insurance companies to justify insurance increases, and empowering state watchdogs to reject unwarranted hikes that pad profits.

In addition, the measure curbs common insurance company practices used to deny access to medically necessary treatments, procedures, and prescription medications; instead, doctors and patients would be empowered to make important medical decisions — not insurance companies. The bill also prevents insurance companies from selling inadequate short-term health care plans that provide little to no coverage.

Finally, LaPointe supported a bill that allows first responder families to better access family and couples therapy. House Bill 4460 requires local and state employee health plans to cover couples therapy for law enforcement officers and firefighters and the partners or spouses they reside with. Shockingly, today, no requirement exists, and many first responders have no access to couples or family therapy.

Overall, these bills will enhance access to mental health care support throughout Illinois, ensuring equitable access from prevention to acute care.

For more information, please contact Info@RepLaPointe.com or 773-647-1174.