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12/15/2016

Obama signs historic 21st Century Cures Act to reform MH care system

With President Barack Obama’s signature on Dec. 13, the 21st Century Cures Act, widely considered to be landmark healthcare legislation, was passed into law.

The bill, which was more than two years in the making, gained bipartisan support and was passed by both chambers of Congress during a lame duck session. The bill passed in the Senate with a vote of 95-4, and the U.S. House of Representatives approved the bill by a vote of 392-26.

The 21st Century Cures bill includes provisions long championed by Reps. Tim Murphy (R-Pa.) and Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas) in the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act as well as provisions in the Mental Health Reform Act of 2016, sponsored by Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) The bill provisions include:

In addition, the bill strengthens existing parity laws so that mental illness is treated just like any other illness and it better coordinates the efforts of federal agencies responsible for treating mental illness.

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