{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.crapo.senate.gov/media/newsreleases/crapo-wyden-cassidy-carper-unveil-youth-mental-health-discussion-draft", "Crapo, Wyden, Cassidy, Carper Unveil Youth Mental Health Discussion Draft", "2022-06-15", "2022", "2022-06", "Republican", "Senate", "ID", "Mike Crapo", "C000880", "www.crapo.senate.gov", "crapo", "https://www.crapo.senate.gov/media/newsreleases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C.\u2013Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), Senator Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) and Senator Tom Carper (D-Delaware) today released a discussion draft for youth mental health care policies as a part of the committee\u2019s ongoing work to improve mental health care across the nation, which has included a public call for comments and four hearings to help develop these initiatives.\n\n\u201cAlthough the pandemic is subsiding and our return to normalcy may be imminent, we cannot ignore the lasting effects of the past two years on the social and emotional well-being of children, whose needs require carefully tailored solutions,\u201d Crapo said. \u201c We should do all that we can, within the committee\u2019s jurisdiction, to increase access to high-quality mental health services, and reduce the causes of delayed and forgone treatment.\u201d\n\n\u201cYoung people across the country are facing unprecedented challenges, and it\u2019s taking a devastating toll on their mental health,\u201d Wyden said. \u201cBy strengthening access to mental health care through Medicaid \u2014 which covers half of all children in this country \u2014 the Finance Committee can make a real difference in helping kids get the care they need, whether that\u2019s at home, in the doctor\u2019s office, or at school. I\u2019m proud that the committee was able to come together on a bipartisan basis to craft these policies, and I look forward to continuing that work in the coming weeks and months.\u201d\n\n\u201cThere has been a massive rise in youth mental health issues in the wake of the pandemic,\u201d said Dr. Cassidy. \u201cThis bill ensures children and teens have access to quality care to have their needs addressed.\u201d\n\n\u201cAfter two years of a life-altering pandemic and worsening youth mental health crisis, it\u2019s more important than ever to come together and ease the burden for kids across the country,\u201d said Carper. \u201cOur draft will make it easier for schools to provide vital mental health services to students on campus and more manageable for states to face head on an impending mental health crisis. Our nation\u2019s children need someone to stand up for them and I\u2019m proud that, alongside this bipartisan group, we\u2019re doing just that.\u201d\n\nThe discussion draft includes policies that would:\n\nEliminate barriers to coordinated care by allowing all providers to receive Medicaid reimbursement for behavioral and physical health services delivered on the same day.\n\nSupport mental health care in schools by updating Medicaid guidance to states to clarify allowable payments and identify strategies to reduce administrative burden.\n\nImprove enforcement and oversight of Medicaid\u2019s Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment (EPSDT) benefit, the country\u2019s gold standard in children\u2019s health coverage.\n\nStreamline enrollment for out-of-state providers in another state\u2019s Medicaid program.\n\nDirect Medicaid to guide states on how they can cover treatment family care services for foster youth enrolled in Medicaid with intensive mental health needs.\n\nThe youth discussion draft is the second legislative draft released by the committee since it began its mental health care initiative, following the telehealth discussion draft last month. Other discussion drafts may be released prior to a committee markup. The committee is committed to fully paying for any mental health package with bipartisan, consensus-driven offsets. Earlier this year, the committee announced five areas of focus for addressing shortfalls in mental health care: workforce, care integration, mental health parity, telehealth, and youth.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T02:39:01Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.crapo.senate.gov/media/newsreleases/crapo-wyden-cassidy-carper-unveil-youth-mental-health-discussion-draft"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.2549089044332504, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}