HB0462eng 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB0462 Engrossed LRB095 04623 DRJ 24680 b

AN ACT concerning public aid.

WHEREAS, Millions of adults and children are disabled by mental illness every year, with approximately 20% of the population annually affected; and

WHEREAS, Nationally, suicide is the leading cause of death for adolescents and young adults; and over 90% of youths committing suicide have experienced a mental disorder; and

WHEREAS, Rural teens and rural older adults have a much higher rate of suicide than do their urban peers, and many of these suicides could be prevented through treatment; and

WHEREAS, In addition to the loss of life, mental illness costs Illinois an annual economic, indirect cost which reflects the loss of productivity due to illness, premature death, incarcerated individuals, and those providing family care; and

WHEREAS, Individuals with mental illness in rural areas are much less likely to have access to the mental health services they need; and

WHEREAS, There is a specific need for more mental health workers to provide aftercare support; and

WHEREAS, Mental illness is a devastating illness that can affect any member of any family, any student in the classroom, and any co-worker at a place of business; and

WHEREAS, All communities struggle to meet the needs of the mentally ill, especially in the rural and underserved areas of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Key findings from the Illinois Rural Health Association Mental Health Access Forum Report from 2006 recommend the increased use of telemedicine and technology to improve access to care, increase training opportunities, and evaluate quality of care; and

WHEREAS, There are mentally ill patients who live great distances from any mental health facility and, in rural areas, may have limited transportation or limited resources for transportation, or both, to obtain mental health care; and

WHEREAS, There are mentally ill patients with special needs issues including, but not limited to: deafness; limited hearing; blindness; patients who speak only a language other than English; physical disabilities; and developmental disabilities; and

WHEREAS, Hospital emergency rooms have become the default provider of mental health care to mentally ill patients with acute crises and for whom no appropriate alternatives are available, and the majority of emergency rooms are not staffed with a psychiatrist; and

WHEREAS, Providing telepsychiatry services would provide cost-efficient mental health care to those in underserved areas or those who do not have access to providers with specialized skills such as sign language or foreign language skills; and

WHEREAS, Telepsychiatry has been shown to be an effective medium through which to deliver health and mental health care; therefore

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Illinois Public Aid Code is amended by adding Section 5-5.25 as follows:

(305 ILCS 5/5-5.25 new)

Sec. 5-5.25. Access to psychiatric mental health services. The General Assembly finds that providing access to psychiatric mental health services in a timely manner will improve the quality of life for persons suffering from mental illness and will contain health care costs by avoiding the need for more costly inpatient hospitalization. The Department of Healthcare and Family Services shall reimburse psychiatrists for mental health services they provide, as authorized by Illinois law, to recipients via telepsychiatry. The Department, by rule, shall establish a method to reimburse providers for mental health services provided by telepsychiatry. The reimbursement methodology for mental health services provided by telemedicine shall be comparable to the reimbursement methodology used by the Department for other services provided by telemedicine.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.