May 31, 2024
The Honorable Mia Bonta
Assembly Health Committee
1020 N Street, Room 390
Sacramento, CA 95814
Subject: Support for SB 1397 (Eggman) Behavioral Health Services Coverage
Dear Chair Bonta,
Mental Health America of California is pleased to support SB 1397 (Eggman), legislation which would allow county behavioral health agencies to be reimbursed for full-service partnership services through health plans and insurers that cover medically necessary mental health and substance use disorder treatment.
MHAC is a peer-run organization leading the state in behavioral health public policy and advocacy since 1957. The mission of MHAC is to assist and encourage communities, families and individuals to experience hope, wellness and recovery from mental health and substance use disorder issues through voluntary services that are delivered in their local community with compassion and respect for everyone’s dignity and autonomy.
To improve access to care in local communities, this bill allows counties to be reimbursed for services provided and covered through an individual’s health insurance. By reducing costs to counties and ensuring maximum coverage and access to care, this bill seeks to address some of the funding limitations imposed by Proposition 1. It supplements a portion of the lost revenue by requiring health plans to reimburse counties for medically necessary mental health and substance use disorder treatments.
For these reasons, we support SB 1397 (Eggman). If you have any questions or if MHAC can be of assistance on this or any other behavioral health bill, please feel free to contact me or our Public Policy Director, Karen Vicari, at kvicari@mhaofca.org.
In Community,
Heidi L. Strunk
President & CEO