Senators to craft major mental health package with focuses on reforming pay parity, expand telehealth

The Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, announced the contours of the mental health legislative package during a hearing Tuesday on youth mental health. “The law requires equality for coverage between physical health and coverage for mental health,” Wyden said during the hearing. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a massive need for mental health services and that demand has run into longstanding issues with parity. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, and Chris Murphy, D-Connecticut, introduced legislation last June intended to help states enforce federal mental health parity laws.