Home > Advocacy at NAMI > Policy Positions

Improving Health

Improving Access, Improving Lives

NAMI fights for policies to ensure people get the best possible care. About one in five Americans experience a mental health condition, but only half receive treatment. People with mental health conditions should have access to health care coverage that is affordable and includes parity for mental health so they can get appropriate care as early as possible.

ACA Coverage Expansions & Consumer Protections

NAMI believes that all people with mental health conditions deserve accessible, affordable, and comprehensive health care. NAMI opposes public policies and laws that undermine or eliminate coverage expansions or consumer protections established by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics

NAMI supports the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) program to expand access to health care, including mental health and substance use disorder care, in community-based settings across the country.

Coverage Of Coordinated Specialty Care (CSC) For Early Or First-Episode Psychosis

All people with mental health conditions deserve accessible, affordable and comprehensive health care. NAMI supports public policies and laws that require coverage of coordinated specialty care across all forms of health insurance for people experiencing early or first episode psychosis (FEP).

Ensuring Access to Veterans’ Mental Health Care

NAMI believes that all people with mental health conditions deserve accessible, affordable, and comprehensive health care. NAMI supports public policies and laws that expand and improve access to mental health care for America’s Veterans.

Mental Health Days: School Absence Policies

NAMI believes that all people with mental health conditions deserve access to supports that promote wellness. NAMI supports public policies and laws that recognize mental health as an acceptable reason for absence from school.

Mental Health Parity

NAMI believes that health insurance should provide comprehensive mental health and substance use disorder coverage without arbitrary limits on treatment. NAMI supports establishment and enforcement of laws and policies that ensure parity between mental health and physical health services in all forms of insurance coverage.

Physical And Mental Health Integration

NAMI supports coordinated care models that integrate physical and mental health services.

Telehealth

NAMI believes that public policies and practices should promote access to care for people with mental health conditions. NAMI supports laws and policies that expand the use of telehealth practices to support a wide range of effective and accessible mental health care services.

Care In Custody

People with mental illness are overrepresented in our nation’s criminal justice system. Once in jail, many individuals don’t receive the mental health treatment they need and their symptoms end up getting worse. We need to improve access to appropriate mental health treatment for people who are incarcerated.

Medicaid Coverage for People Who are Incarcerated

NAMI believes that all people with mental health conditions who are incarcerated deserve access to quality mental health treatment. NAMI supports the continuation of Medicaid coverage for people with mental health conditions who are justice-involved and calls for the repeal of the Medicaid Inmate Exclusion Policy.

Mental Health Treatment While Incarcerated

NAMI supports public policies and laws that expand and improve access to mental health care within prison and jail settings.

Commercial Health Insurance

Commercial health insurance is purchased by individuals or groups, including employers, to cover health care costs. Most, but not all, commercial health insurance is subject to mental health parity laws. We need to ensure that all health care plans are comprehensive and affordable — and subject to mental health parity — to help people with mental health conditions.

Short-Term Limited Duration (STLD) Health Plans

NAMI supports laws and policies that limit the sale of short-term limited duration health plans.

Surprise Medical Bills

NAMI supports laws and policies to protect people against surprise medical bills received for out-of-network care.

Early Intervention

Early intervention and treatment is essential because the earlier people get help, the better the outcomes. Since 50% of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14, and 75% by age 24, it is critical that we promote greater awareness and early identification of mental health conditions in youth and young adults.

Mental Health in Schools

NAMI believes that public policies and practices should promote greater awareness and early identification of mental health conditions. NAMI supports public policies and laws that enable all schools, public and private, to increase access to appropriate mental health services.

Mental Health Screening

NAMI strongly supports early mental health screening. Early mental health screening should take place in a primary care doctor’s office or in school.

Universal Mental Health Screening

NAMI believes that public policies and practices should promote greater awareness and early identification of mental health conditions. NAMI supports public policies and laws that promote voluntary universal mental health screenings and linkages to mental health care to improve long-term health outcomes.

Involving Courts in Treatment

Mental illness is not a crime, but untreated symptoms and limited access to care lead many to become caught in a cycle of homelessness, admission to the hospital emergency departments, and incarceration. NAMI supports the use of civil and criminal courts as part of a larger strategy to support breaking this cycle, diverting people into care, and setting them on a path to recovery.

Involuntary Civil Commitment

NAMI believes that all people should have the right to make their own decisions about mental health treatment. However, in rare instances where voluntary engagement is not possible, NAMI supports involuntary civil commitment only when used as a last resort and only when it is believed to be in the best interests of the individual.

Problem-Solving Courts/Specialty Courts

NAMI believes in minimizing justice-system response to people with mental illness, while ensuring that any interactions preserve health, well-being and dignity. NAMI supports the use of problem-solving courts as part of a broad strategy to reduce incarceration and promote diversion from further involvement in the criminal justice system for people with mental illness.

Medicaid

Medicaid is a health insurance program that provides critical support for millions of people with mental health conditions and is the nation’s largest payer of mental health and addiction services. Medicaid typically covers a broad range of mental health services and supports, and we must make sure that it remains a valuable lifeline for people with mental health conditions.

Medicaid Block Grants and Per Capita Caps

NAMI opposes block grants or per-capita caps in Medicaid, which impose financing limits that jeopardize coverage and services for individuals with mental health conditions.

Medicaid: Work Reporting Requirements

NAMI opposes efforts to take Medicaid coverage away from people who don’t meet a work requirement.

Medicaid: IMD Exclusion

NAMI opposes Medicaid’s discriminatory prohibition on paying for mental health treatment delivered in certain inpatient settings, known as “institutions of mental disease” (IMDs).

Medicaid Expansion

NAMI supports state efforts to expand Medicaid, as indicated in the Affordable Care Act (ACA), to provide important mental health services and supports to more low-income adults.

Medicaid Coverage for Maternal Mental Health

NAMI supports public policies and laws that extend Medicaid coverage for at least 12 months postpartum.

Medicare

Medicare is a federal health insurance program that is available to older Americans and certain people with disabilities, including some people with mental illness. Medicare typically covers fewer mental health services and supports than most Medicaid programs. NAMI advocates for policies to make Medicare more responsive to the needs of people with mental illness.

Medicare: 190 Day Limit

NAMI supports repeal of Medicare’s discriminatory 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospital care.

Medicare: Medication Access

NAMI believes that all people with mental health conditions deserve access to effective medication and treatment options. NAMI supports Medicare’s “six protected classes” policy to ensure access to a broad range of antipsychotic and antidepressant medications.

Medications

Millions of people with mental illness rely on prescription medications to treat their symptoms. We must ensure that people are able to readily access the most effective medications, and we must promote research and development of new medications to treat the wide array of mental health conditions.

Medications: Ensuring Access

NAMI believes that all people with mental health conditions deserve access to effective medication and treatment options. NAMI opposes public policies and laws that limit access to prescription mental health medications as prescribed by their provider.

Medications: Marijuana/Cannabis Research

NAMI believes that public policies should be guided by credible, evidence-based research. NAMI supports public policies and laws that facilitate research into the risks and benefits that marijuana and other cannabis products have on people with mental health conditions.

Medications: Research on Schedule I Drugs

NAMI supports public policies and laws that facilitate research into the benefits and risks that Schedule I drugs have for people with mental health conditions.

Medications: Therapeutic Substitution

NAMI supports public policies and laws that prohibit therapeutic substitution of psychiatric medications.

Medications: Step Therapy

NAMI supports public policies and laws that prohibit step therapy for psychiatric medications.

Workforce

Across the U.S., there is a growing demand for mental health and substance use disorder care, yet a significant shortage of mental health providers. We must support existing professionals and increase the workforce to ensure that all people with mental health conditions can receive appropriate care.

Medical Professionals: Licensure Application Questions on Mental Health

NAMI supports limiting medical license application questions about mental health to only those necessary and relevant to assess an individual’s current ability to practice medicine safely and competently.

Workforce: Scholarship and Loan Repayment Programs

NAMI supports public policies and laws that create, expand and sustain loan repayment programs and scholarships for mental health professionals.

Workforce: Peer Support Workers

NAMI supports public policies and laws that build, promote, expand, and sustain the role of peer support workers throughout the mental health and substance use workforce.