[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4428 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4428
To establish a special enrollment period for family members of an
individual who has died by suicide, to establish a competitive grant
program to provide services and support to friends and family members
impacted by an individual's suicide, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 19, 2019
Ms. Wild (for herself, Mr. Trone, and Mr. Moulton) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and
Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and
Oversight and Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish a special enrollment period for family members of an
individual who has died by suicide, to establish a competitive grant
program to provide services and support to friends and family members
impacted by an individual's suicide, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Greater Mental Health Access Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) One in five adults in America experience some form of
mental illness, and nearly one in twenty-five adults live with
serious mental illness.
(2) Access to mental health services is a particularly
pervasive problem; 28 million residents of the United States
are uninsured and have no access to mental health services.
Studies show that nearly 60 percent of adults and 50 percent of
children with a mental illness did not receive mental health
services in the previous calendar year.
(3) The lack of access to mental health services has, in
part, contributed to an increase in the suicide rate in the
United States, which is now the tenth leading cause of death in
this country.
(4) In 2017, 47,173 Americans died by suicide.
(5) In 2017, there were an estimated 1,400,000 suicide
attempts in the United States.
(6) Suicide by a loved one often results in ``suicide
contagion''; for surviving family and friends the risk of
attempting suicide increases by 65 percent.
(7) Family and friends who lost a loved one to suicide are
80 percent more likely to drop out of school or stop working.
(8) Access to mental health services is important to
mitigate suicide, suicide contagion, and bereavement. Access to
care also reduces the financial burden for individuals in need
of mental health services.
(9) The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has
increased access to mental health services, but there is still
a large population that is uninsured or has insufficient
coverage to seek mental health services.
(10) Family and friends who have lost a loved one to
suicide should not face hurdles when attempting to access
mental health services. As such, a suicide or suicide attempt
should constitute a ``qualifying life event'' for any
individual who is eligible to enroll, but is not enrolled, in a
health benefit plan under the Patient Protection and Affordable
Care Act.
SEC. 3. PROVIDING FOR A SPECIAL ENROLLMENT PERIOD FOR FAMILY MEMBERS OF
INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE COMMITTED SUICIDE.
(a) Public Health Service Act.--Section 2702(b)(2) of the Public
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300gg-1(b)(2) is amended by inserting
``including a special enrollment period for family members of
individuals who have died by suicide, allowing them to enroll in, or
change, their health care plan, beginning on the date on which the
suicide is reported to the health insurance issuer'' before the period
at the end.
(b) Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.--Section 1311(c)(6)
of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (42 U.S.C.
18031(c)(6)) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (C), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(2) by redesignating subparagraph (D) as subparagraph (E);
and
(3) by inserting after subparagraph (C) the following new
subparagraph:
``(D) a special enrollment period for family
members of individuals who have died by suicide,
beginning on the date on which the suicide is reported
to the Exchange; and''.
(c) Special Enrollment Periods.--Section 9801(f) of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. 9801(f)) is amended by adding at the
end the following new paragraph:
``(4) For family members of individuals who have died by
suicide.--
``(A) A group health plan shall permit an employee
who is eligible, but not enrolled, for coverage under
the terms of the plan (or a dependent of such an
employee if the dependent is eligible, but not
enrolled, for coverage under such terms) to enroll for
coverage under the terms of the plan upon the suicide
of a family member, with the special enrollment period
beginning on the date on which the suicide is reported
to the group health plan.
``(B) The Secretary shall promulgate regulations
with respect to the special enrollment period under
subparagraph (A), including establishing a time period
for family members of an individual who has died by
suicide to enroll in coverage or change coverage, and
effective date of such coverage.''.
(d) Federal Employees' Health Benefits Program.--The requirements
imposed by the amendments made by subsections (a), (b), and (c) of this
section shall apply to any plan provided under the Federal Employees'
Health Benefits Program (chapter 89 of title 5, United States Code).
(e) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall
apply with respect to plan years beginning after the date of enactment.
SEC. 4. OUTPATIENT MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES.
Subpart 3 of part B of title V of the Public Health Service Act is
amended by inserting after section 520E-4 (42 U.S.C. 290bb-36d) the
following new section:
``SEC. 520E-5 OUTPATIENT MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES.
``(a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Assistant
Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, shall award grants to
medical providers, hospitals, clinics, not-for-profit organizations,
and religious organizations, to provide outpatient mental health
services for individuals impacted by the attempted or completed suicide
of a friend or family member.
``(b) Transfer of Funds.--Of the unobligated balance of the amount
appropriated under section 4002 of the Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act, the Secretary shall transfer $6,000,000 to carry
out this section.
``(c) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment,
the Secretary shall submit a report to Congress on the implementation
of this section.
``(d) Outpatient Mental Health Services.--In this section, the term
`outpatient mental health services' includes each of the following
services:
``(1) Short-term counseling.
``(2) Referral services.
``(3) Follow-up services.''.
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