Mental health reform is hot in Congress right now, with several bills having been introduced in the House and Senate.
The most comprehensive House bill – and the one that has received the most consideration to date – is H.R. 2646, the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act of 2015, introduced by Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Penn.), a clinical psychologist.
If enacted, the bill would combine mental and physical health electronic medical records and adjust HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) to allow caregivers to access a patient’s mental health records without his or her consent, although psychotherapy notes would be redacted.
In the Senate, S. 1945, the Mental Health Reform Act of 2015, introduced by Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), would integrate physical and mental health records and would lift the cap on inpatient psychiatric services covered under Medicare.
Also on the Senate side is S. 1893, the Mental Health Awareness and Improvement Act of 2015 introduced by Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.). This bill covers much of the same ground as both Murphys’ bills, however not much would directly impact daily clinical practice.
A bill introduced by Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Tex.) would clarify which mental health records could be included in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System and would provide funding to identify and treat prisoners with serious mental illness. To date, however, the bill has no cosponsors.
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