DiscoverLIVE: Georgia Bill Trackers 2022
“Today we celebrate a triumph of hope in Georgia,” Ralston said before the governor signed the law into law. “It’s not the end, it’s the end of the beginning. Its a lot to do. This landmark law, which we are about to sign into law, will mean a new day of hope and a future of opportunity for almost every family in Georgia.”
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.
The bill’s passage was delayed by concerns from conservative groups and voters who said it would protect pedophiles from prosecution. They said the bill would require private insurance companies to cover treatments that go against the religious beliefs of business owners. Bill sponsors denied the legislation did these things, but they made changes nonetheless.
Once passed, the bill would require all insurance companies offering mental health coverage to cover mental health in the same way they cover physical health. HB 1013 aims to increase the number of mental health professionals in Georgia and improve data and transparency on mental health.
The federal government enacted legislation in 2008 aimed at requiring parity — meaning insurance companies should cover mental health care the same way they cover physical health care. No data has been collected in Georgia to determine if this is happening, but anecdotal evidence has shown that it is not.
Public health insurers such as Medicare and Medicaid, as well as private insurers, are required to submit parity reports to the Department of Health and the Department of Insurance, respectively. It also empowers insurance and health commissioners to enforce the 2008 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.
The measure comes as a result of recommendations from the Georgia Behavioral Health Reform and Innovation Commission, which has developed more than 50 proposals to amend Georgia’s laws.
While Ralston said the legislation was the first step in improving access to mental health care in Georgia, it was still a day to celebrate.
“HB 1013 will rock this state of mental health care,” he said.
