Washington Debrief: Mixed Reaction to HIPAA Final Rule

Last Thursday, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held its first hearing on mental health since 2007. This hearing focused on: “Assessing the State of America’s Mental Health System.” In Committee Chairman Harkin’s (D-IA) opening remarks, he noted that “a number of sheriffs in his state and other states have said that their jails are now the defacto mental health institutions in their states. The shame in this is that with access to the right treatments and supports, people living with mental illness can recover and lead healthy lives… We need to look at access to mental health care across the country.” This sentiment shares support from both sides of the aisle as newly voted Ranking Member Sen. Alexander (R-TN) expressed interest in finding out what they can do at the federal level to help identify who needs help, and who can provide help for those suffering from mental illness.

Edited by Gabriel Perna