Kids would get more mental health help under two bills being considered by state lawmakers
Legislation aimed at improving the mental health of Colorado’s children is gaining ground after garnering bipartisan support among lawmakers, say bill advocates.“I think everyone is aware that there is a mental health crisis among our kids,” said Zach Zaslow, VP of Community Health and Advocacy at Children’s Hospital Colorado. “I think (lawmakers) are stepping up to be helpful in fighting this crisis.”Zaslow, Dr. Lauren Eckhart, clinical director for the Colorado Springs division of the Pediatric Mental Health Institute at Children’s Hospital Colorado and about 100 parents, health care providers and primary care physicians were at the State Capitol on Tuesday to hail the passage of two key bills – HB 25 1002 and HB 251135.Both measures passed the State House and now are headed for Senate hearings before they are voted on by the whole legislature.Zaslow said neither measure costs taxpayers but could likely save lives in the long term. HB 1002 tries to cut the disparities between standard physical health and mental health benefits. The measure would ensure private health insurance carriers are not denying coverage for medically necessary mental health and substance abuse services that a healthcare provider has prescribed and that should be covered under the patient’s health plan, according to the legislation.Advocates point to a report by health policy consultants Milliman that says that more than 75 percent of Coloradans with commercial insurance who have been diagnosed with a mental health condition have not received the care they need over the past year.There is still a “stigma” surrounding mental health and an associated reluctance among most insurers to cover its treatment, Zaslow said.That often translates to patients who need immediate treatment but don’t get the help they need until much later, Eckhart said. “There are often significant delays that can hurt those in need. We need to get them to get care as soon as possible,” Eckhart said.Cell policies required by 2026HB1135, which also attracted bipartisan support, would require all school districts to have a policy in place dealing with cell phone during the day by July 2026. The bill does not impose a statewide ban on cell phone use in schools but calls for school districts the create their own locally developed policy regarding cell phone use during school hours in K-12 setting, according to the legislation.“We wanted to take a middle ground on cell phone use,” Zaslow said. “We don’t want an outright ban on their use, but we also don’t want a laissez faire approach to cell phones.”Only about a third of Colorado’s largest school districts have a cell phone use policy during the school day. Local principals and teachers are then left to come up with their own classroom policies, Eckhart said.Clear evidence exists that social media use throughout the school day can have negative impacts on youth mental health and wellbeing, Eckhart added. “It increases forms of anxiety and students who use their phones a lot are less inclined to get into physical activity,” Eckhart said.And yet, cell phone use is “…tough pull to resist,” Zaslow said. “But maybe this bill will help us go in the right direction to help kids.”The post Kids would get more mental health help under two bills being considered by state lawmakers appeared first on Colorado Community Media.
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