Singleton said that while his family has had issues with the way mental health care is administered in Georgia, the government shouldn’t be the agency trying to fix things.
“I would like everyone to take just a moment to reflect on the painful irony that in this body we are working to find a government solution that implements greater government scrutiny to solve a problem that is largely the outcome government control and politics,” Singleton said.
HB 1013 would implement recommendations from a bipartisan committee that spent three years examining ways to improve mental health care. The bill aims to increase the number of mental health professionals in Georgia, provide assistance to first responders when called to a mental health crisis, and improve mental health data and transparency.
Private insurers would have to submit annual reports on their compliance with a federal law requiring equal coverage between mental and physical health. The bill would require the state Insurance Commissioner to enforce federal law.
State agencies would need to create outpatient grant programs and accountability courts that would serve the mentally ill and people with substance abuse problems.
Overall, the bill would cost the state nearly $30 million a year. Ralston said he expects the Legislature to fund the bill in next year’s budget.
According to a 2021 report by Mental Health America, a century-old nonprofit advocacy group, Georgia ranks low on most measurements of mental health care nationally and high on the percentage of residents facing challenges. This put Georgia last in terms of the number of mental health professionals per capita. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry says Georgia has only eight psychiatrists for every 100,000 children; The Academy suggests a better ratio of 47 per 100,000.
HB 1013 now goes to the Senate, and Ralston shared a few words with his colleagues across the room.
“The give and take process is healthy. I’m enjoying it as much as anyone,” Ralston said. “And while all actions are on the table, I hope they will realize that there is a lot at stake on HB 1013. Lives are at stake with this bill. I hope they will think twice before getting finicky or trying to dissect the work done by this commission.”
