[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 13]
[House]
[Pages 18404-18405]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          AFFORDABLE CARE ACT

  (Mrs. NEGRETE McLEOD asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mrs. NEGRETE McLEOD. Mr. Speaker, the Affordable Care Act is moving 
in the right direction and delivering what the law was intended to do: 
delivering a wider range of medical services to all Americans, 
including improved access to mental health services.
  The administration announced that $100 million of additional funding 
would be made available to expand and improve the way Americans receive 
mental health services.

[[Page 18405]]

  According to the California HealthCare Foundation, nearly one in six 
Californian adults has a mental health need and approximately one in 20 
suffers from a serious mental illness that makes it difficult to carry 
out major life activities. The rate among children is higher where one 
in 13 suffers from a mental illness that limits participation in daily 
activities.
  While most mental illnesses are treatable, those with mental illness 
often struggle to get needed treatment if they do not have health 
insurance that covers mental health services. Starting next year, 
insurers would not be able to deny coverage or charge an individual 
more due to preexisting health conditions, including mental illnesses. 
The health care law would also require most health plans to cover 
recommended preventive services like depression screening for adults 
and behavior assessment for children.

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