Senator Wiener Introduces Groundbreaking Legislation Requiring Insurance Companies to Cover All Medically Necessary Mental Healthcare, Not Just Emergency Care

SACRAMENTO – Senator Scott Wiener (D- San Francisco) will announce landmark mental health legislation today to require insurance companies to cover all medically necessary mental health care and substance use disorder treatments, not just emergency crisis care treatment. SB 855 is part of a growing movement to reverse the stigmatization of mental illness and addiction.

SB 855 is a part of a package of bills sponsored by the Kennedy Forum and Steinberg Institute to promote mental health parity. Senator Jim Beall (D-San Jose), the chair of the Mental Health Caucus, is a co-author of Sen. Wiener’s bill, and is authoring a separate bill — SB 854, co-authored by Senator Wiener — that eliminates barriers to Medication-Assisted Treatment for substance use disorder.  Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters) is a co-author of both bills.

Mental health and addiction are serious crises facing San Francisco and California, and addressing the needs of our community requires immediate and decisive action. Insurance companies, under the California Parity Act (1999), are currently required to fund emergency mental health services. SB 855 expands this requirement by compelling insurance companies to fund all medically necessary mental healthcare and substance use disorder treatment – whether treatments are defined as “urgent” or not. In other words, people won’t be forced to descend into full mental health crisis before receiving care; the goal is to avoid the need for crisis care by providing mental healthcare earlier. SB 855 will provide significantly broader access to non-urgent care, giving people living with mental illness and substance use disorder the ability to access treatment sooner, get back on their feet, and move forward with the support they need.

Insurance companies have a responsibility to treat mental illness and substance use disorder with the same seriousness and resources they provide to physical illness. Because of the existing stigma around mental illness and addiction, many who might benefit from treatment do not seek it out. Insurance companies refusing coverage of the treatment only makes matters worse, leaving thousands unable to afford crucial services. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, it takes on average 11 years for someone to seek treatment for mental illness after the person starts experiencing symptoms. That is unacceptable; it is crucial that people experiencing mental illness and addiction be able to seek treatment quickly and affordably.

Senator Scott Wiener said:

“It’s long past time we end the stigma around mental illness and addiction. No one should have to suffer from mental illness or substance use disorder without support, resources and medical care. No one should have to forego mental healthcare until they’ve deteriorated to the point where they’re in crisis and in the ER. And no one should have to go into debt to pay for substance use disorder or mental health treatment. It’s time for every Californian to have access to comprehensive and preventative mental and physical health care. SB 855 is a big step toward ensuring that in California, mental health is taken as seriously as physical health. We must de-stigmatize mental health and substance use disorders and help people get the care they need. It’s time for insurance companies to fully cover this essential treatment.”

Contact: Catie Stewart, catie.stewart@sen.ca.gov, 610.675.6342