Rep. Seth Moulton, a Marine veteran running for president, introduced a plan Tuesday to expand mental health services for the military, veterans and high school students. Moulton disclosed that he sought treatment in 2009 for post-traumatic stress disorder after deployments during the Iraq War, and said he hoped sharing his experiences would reduce stigma and induce other veterans to get help.
What would Moulton’s plan do?
It would require a counseling session for returning combat veterans and annual mental health check-ups for active-duty military and veterans. It would fill all mental health vacancies at the VA and adopt a more holistic approach to treatment, including alternative therapies like mindfulness, exercise and cannabis.
In addition, Moulton would fund yearly mental health screenings for every high schooler in America and establish 511 as a national mental health crisis hotline.
How would it work?
The plan could be implemented through executive action or legislation, Moulton’s campaign office says. The plan would double the number of DoD mental health professionals. Annual mental health screening of teenagers is already recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which makes it reimbursable for everyone over the age of 11.
It would be feasible to screen veterans for PTSD, but treating everyone who needed help would require the VA to train more certified peer specialists, experts say.
What are the weaknesses in the proposal?
There is no legislative text for the proposal, which makes it difficult to know how much it would cost or how it would be funded.
However, mental health advocates applauded Moulton for speaking openly about his PTSD. “Highly respected men who talk openly and honestly about mental health help change the way people think about mental health and mental illnesses,” said Paul Gionfriddo, CEO of Mental Health America. “These are honest and good proposals.”
How much would it cost?
Moulton put the cost of the program at roughly $3 billion. He says he would increase the DoD mental health budget by $500 million, and the VA budget by a similar amount, with $2 billion to increase screening and therapy for high school kids. He would pay for some of it by closing loopholes in the corporate tax code.
What are other candidates saying about mental health?
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar earlier in May presented a plan to prevent and treat addiction. It commits to improving access to care and mental health facilities, including in-patient programs, as well as funding more research. The $100 billion plan doesn’t include specifics about expanding access to treatment for people addicted to opioids.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren last year proposed a $100 billion plan to address the opioid crisis that would provide that funding over 10 years for states, territories, tribal communities and cities hit hard by addiction.
Former Rep. John Delaney of Maryland has released a less detailed plan to increase access to mental health services.
Roughly 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. have a mental illness, according to the National Institute on Mental Health.
Article originally published on POLITICO Magazine