Greater Mental Health Access Act
Bill: H.R.8680 | Sponsor: Rep. Wild, Susan (D-PA)
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Greater Mental Health Access Act
This bill establishes a special enrollment period for family members of individuals who died by suicide to enroll in, or change enrollment under, a health insurance plan.
The bill also requires the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to use funds from the Prevention and Public Health Fund to award grants to medical providers and others to provide outpatient mental health services for individuals impacted by the attempted or completed suicide of a friend or family member.

To establish a special enrollment period for family members of an 
 individual who has died by suicide, to establish a competitive grant 
 program to provide services and support to friends and family members 
      impacted by an individual's suicide, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Greater Mental Health Access Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) One in five adults in America experience some form of 
        mental illness, and nearly one in twenty-five adults live with 
        serious mental illness.
            (2) Access to mental health services is a particularly 
        pervasive problem; 28 million residents of the United States 
        are uninsured and have no access to mental health services. 
        Studies show that nearly 60 percent of adults and 50 percent of 
        children with a mental illness did not receive mental health 
        services in the previous calendar year.
            (3) The lack of access to mental health services has, in 
        part, contributed to an increase in the suicide rate in the 
        United States, which is now the tenth leading cause of death in 
        this country.
            (4) In 2017, 47,173 Americans died by suicide.
            (5) In 2017, there were an estimated 1,400,000 suicide 
        attempts in the United States.
            (6) Suicide by a loved one often results in ``suicide 
        contagion''; for surviving family and friends the risk of 
        attempting suicide increases by 65 percent.
            (7) Family and friends who lost a loved one to suicide are 
        80 percent more likely to drop out of school or stop working.
            (8) Access to mental health services is important to 
        mitigate suicide, suicide contagion, and bereavement. Access to 
        care also reduces the financial burden for individuals in need 
        of mental health services.
            (9) The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has 
        increased access to mental health services, but there is still 
        a large population that is uninsured or has insufficient 
        coverage to seek mental health services.
            (10) Family and friends who have lost a loved one to 
        suicide should not face hurdles when attempting to access 
        mental health services. As such, a suicide or suicide attempt 
        should constitute a ``qualifying life event'' for any 
        individual who is eligible to enroll, but is not enrolled, in a 
        health benefit plan under the Patient Protection and Affordable 
        Care Act.

SEC. 3. PROVIDING FOR A SPECIAL ENROLLMENT PERIOD FOR FAMILY MEMBERS OF 
              INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE COMMITTED SUICIDE.

    (a) Public Health Service Act.--Section 2702(b)(2) of the Public 
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300gg-1(b)(2) is amended by inserting 
``including a special enrollment period for family members of 
individuals who have died by suicide, allowing them to enroll in, or 
change, their health care plan, beginning on the date on which the 
suicide is reported to the health insurance issuer'' before the period 
at the end.
    (b) Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.--Section 1311(c)(6) 
of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (42 U.S.C. 
18031(c)(6)) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (C), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) by redesignating subparagraph (D) as subparagraph (E); 
        and
            (3) by inserting after subparagraph (C) the following new 
        subparagraph:
                    ``(D) a special enrollment period for family 
                members of individuals who have died by suicide, 
                beginning on the date on which the suicide is reported 
                to the Exchange; and''.
    (c) Special Enrollment Periods.--Section 9801(f) of the Internal 
Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. 9801(f)) is amended by adding at the 
end the following new paragraph:
            ``(4) For family members of individuals who have died by 
        suicide.--
                    ``(A) A group health plan shall permit an employee 
                who is eligible, but not enrolled, for coverage under 
                the terms of the plan (or a dependent of such an 
                employee if the dependent is eligible, but not 
                enrolled, for coverage under such terms) to enroll for 
                coverage under the terms of the plan upon the suicide 
                of a family member, with the special enrollment period 
                beginning on the date on which the suicide is reported 
                to the group health plan.
                    ``(B) The Secretary shall promulgate regulations 
                with respect to the special enrollment period under 
                subparagraph (A), including establishing a time period 
                for family members of an individual who has died by 
                suicide to enroll in coverage or change coverage, and 
                effective date of such coverage.''.
    (d) Federal Employees' Health Benefits Program.--The requirements 
imposed by the amendments made by subsections (a), (b), and (c) of this 
section shall apply to any plan provided under the Federal Employees' 
Health Benefits Program (chapter 89 of title 5, United States Code).
    (e) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply with respect to plan years beginning after the date of enactment.

SEC. 4. OUTPATIENT MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES.

    Subpart 3 of part B of title V of the Public Health Service Act is 
amended by inserting after section 520E-4 (42 U.S.C. 290bb-36d) the 
following new section:

``SEC. 520E-5 OUTPATIENT MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Assistant 
Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, shall award grants to 
medical providers, hospitals, clinics, not-for-profit organizations, 
and religious organizations, to provide outpatient mental health 
services for individuals impacted by the attempted or completed suicide 
of a friend or family member.
    ``(b) Transfer of Funds.--Of the unobligated balance of the amount 
appropriated under section 4002 of the Patient Protection and 
Affordable Care Act, the Secretary shall transfer $6,000,000 to carry 
out this section.
    ``(c) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment, 
the Secretary shall submit a report to Congress on the implementation 
of this section.
    ``(d) Outpatient Mental Health Services.--In this section, the term 
`outpatient mental health services' includes each of the following 
services:
            ``(1) Short-term counseling.
            ``(2) Referral services.
            ``(3) Follow-up services.''.
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