Illinois House committee approves behavioral healthcare parity plan

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — A bill moving in Springfield could significantly improve access to mental health and substance use treatment.

Democrats and Republicans are pushing for a plan to set minimum reimbursement rates for providers to properly compensate them for their services and encourage more specialists to join insurance networks.

"You deserve this. You had long deserved this," Rep. Lindsey LaPointe (D-Chicago) said Thursday. "Behavioral healthcare is healthcare. We shouldn't treat it like some other, and it's just unacceptable for us to reimburse it at far lower rates."

Sponsors said people already paying costly insurance premiums should be able to access the care outlined in their benefits instead of racking up debt for mental health services.

House Bill 1085 passed out of the House Mental Health and Addiction Committee on a bipartisan 17-5 vote Thursday. The legislation currently has over 40 co-sponsors, and representatives could see the bill on the House floor as early as Tuesday.

Identical legislation, Senate Bill 55, is also gaining significant support in the Senate. The proposal currently has nearly 30 co-sponsors. Sen. Karina Villa (D-West Chicago) told reporters she is committed to getting the plan passed out of both chambers this spring. As a former school social worker, Villa said this fight is personal.

"You have done nothing wrong. You have paid your premiums, and you deserve for your child to be able to go in and get help when they need it," Villa said. "This bill is the most important bill regarding mental health that we can make sure to get across the finish line."