Clinton Unveils Comprehensive Agenda on Mental Health (Updated)

Hillary Clinton announced her comprehensive plan to better treat people living with a mental illness. The current mental health treatment policies have been criticized for not properly treating patients. Highlights of Clinton’s plan include the expansion of early intervention programs, a national suicide prevention initiative, increased training for police in dealing with the mentally ill, providing mental health care for those who commit non-violent crimes, expanding employment opportunities, and increasing investments in research for the brain and behavioral research. An outline of the plan is below, and the full plan can be read on The Briefing.

1. Early Diagnosis and Intervention
   • Increase public awareness and take action to address maternal depression, infant mental health, and trauma and stress in the lives of young children
   • Scale up efforts to help pediatric practices and schools support children facing behavioral problems
   • Help providers share information and best practices
   • Ensure that college students have access to mental health services
2. Federal Support for Suicide Prevention
   • Create a national initiative around suicide prevention across the lifespan that is headed by the Surgeon General
   • Encourage evidence-based suicide prevention and mental health programs in high schools
   • Provide federal support for suicide prevention on college campuses
   • Partner with colleges and researchers to ensure that students of color and LGBT students are receiving adequate mental health coverage
3. Integrate our Healthcare Systems and Expand Community-Based Treatment
   • Foster integration between the medical and behavioral health care systems (including mental health and addiction services), so that high-quality treatment for behavioral health is widely available in general health care settings
   • Expand reimbursement systems for collaborative care models in Medicare and Medicaid
   • Promote the use of health information technology to foster coordination of care
   • Promote the use of peer support specialists
   • Encourage states to allow same-day billing
   • Support the creation of high-quality, comprehensive community health centers in every state
   • Launch a nationwide strategy to address the shortage of mental health providers
4. Improve Outcomes in the Criminal Justice System
   • Dedicate new resources to help train law enforcement officers in responding to encounters involving persons with mental illness, and increase support for law enforcement partnerships with mental health professionals
   • Prioritize treatment over punishment for low-level, non-violent offenders with mental illnesses
5. Enforcing Mental Health Parity
   • Launch randomized audits to detect parity violations, and increase federal enforcement
   • Enforce disclosure requirements so that insurers cannot conceal their practices for denying mental health care
   • Strengthen federal monitoring of health insurer compliance with network adequacy requirements
   • Create a simple process for patients, families, and providers to report parity violations and improve federal-state coordination on parity enforcement
6. Housing and Job Opportunities
   • Expand community-based housing opportunities for individuals with mental illness and other disabilities
   • Expand employment opportunities for people with mental illness
   • Expand protection and advocacy support for people with mental health conditions
7. Brain and Behavioral Science Research
   • Significantly increase research into brain and behavioral science research
   • Develop new links with the private and non-profit sectors
   • Commit to brain and behavioral science research based on open data

UPDATE (8/30/16): Hillary for America announced that Clinton and Tim Kaine spoke with the mental health policy community including patients, advocates, researchers, policy experts, physicians, counselors, and service providers. The conference call featured people from across the country and allowed Clinton to speak about her plan and hear feedback from experts.

Following the meeting, Clinton said, “I have heard heartbreaking stories for years about these incredible challenges, but during this campaign, it has seemed like a floodgate has opened from parents and students, from veterans, nurses, doctors, police officers. But I’ve also heard stories of hope and courage – people getting the help they needed, being able to lead happy, healthy, and thriving lives. And cities and states are deploying innovative programs, and that’s what we want to hear more of. We’ve got to break through and break down the stigma and shame. We’ve got to make clear that mental health is not a personal failing. Right now, it is our country which is failing people with mental health issues.”

Kaine said, “I am really happy that today when our campaign rolled out this proposal with respect to comprehensive mental health improvement, that we decided one group of people that we really want to talk to is college students. Most mental health challenges do first present themselves during adolescence or college. So, while even a mental health challenge of an adult later in life may become more manifest, there are early signs about it. One in four college students today do acknowledge that they are dealing with mental health challenges at some point along the way. And it is very important that we are aware of that and that we make clear that it’s normal, there is no stigma associated with it. And we want to make sure that there are appropriate resources, innovative resources, community-based resources so that people can access help, and that the response of society is treatment rather than judgment or pretending that it doesn’t exist.”

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Also, be sure to subscribe to the campaign’s official Podcast, With Her.

News Source: The Briefing, USA Today

Hillary Clinton Statement on EpiPen Pricing

Hillary Clinton called out drug maker Mylan for the increase in the price of its EpiPen product. An EpiPen is used to prevent anaphylactic shock by those with serious allergy attacks. The active drug in the product, the hormone epinephrine, costs less than $1 for the amount in a single dose. Yet, researchers note that the price of the EpiPen has increased 400% over the past few years with one EpiPen costing $57 in 2007 and a two pack of EpiPens costing $600 today. Clinton is not alone in asking Mylan for explanation. Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Claire McCaskill of Missouri have also sent letters to the manufacture. Late last year, Clinton proposed updates to prescription drug regulations that will prevent drug makers from overcharging for medications. A copy of Clinton’s statement is below.

“Millions of Americans with severe allergies rely on their EpiPens.  When an allergic reaction leads to anaphylactic shock, a shot of epinephrine can literally be the difference between life and death.  But now, just as parents are about to send kids with severe food and insect allergies back to school, the EpiPen’s manufacturer is hiking its price to an all-time high.

Over the last several years, Mylan Pharmaceuticals has increased the price of EpiPens by more than 400%.  They’re now charging up to $600 for a two-EpiPen set that must be replaced every 12-18 months. This both increases out-of-pocket costs for families and first responders, and contributes to higher premiums for all Americans and their employers.

That’s outrageous — and it’s just the latest troubling example of a company taking advantage of its consumers. I believe that our pharmaceutical and biotech industries can be an incredible source of American innovation, giving us revolutionary treatments for debilitating diseases.  But it’s wrong when drug companies put profits ahead of patients, raising prices without justifying the value behind them. 

That’s why I’ve put forward a plan to address exorbitant drug price hikes like these.  As part of my plan, I’ve made clear that pharmaceutical manufacturers should be required to explain significant price increases, and prove that any additional costs are linked to additional patient benefits and better value.  Since there is no apparent justification in this case, I am calling on Mylan to immediately reduce the price of EpiPens.

In addition, when it comes to treatments like delivering epinephrine that have been available for decades, my plan encourages the production of alternative products.  That’s how we can harness the power of competition to keep drug prices at a level that all Americans can afford.”

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Also, be sure to subscribe to the campaign’s official Podcast, With Her.

News Source: The Verge

Hillary Clinton Statement on the Cancer Moonshot Initiative

In light of today’s campaign event in Pennsylvania with Hillary Clinton and Vice President Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton released a statement affirming her support of the Cancer Moonshot Initiative. The initiative began following President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address earlier this year. President Obama vowed to increase funding for cancer research and placed Biden in charge of the project. The overall goal is to create partnerships between public and private researchers and trials to find a cure for cancer. The matter is personal for Biden as he lost his son, Beau, to cancer last year. Today, Clinton vowed to continue the initiative as president and would continue to rely on Biden as it presses forward. A copy of Clinton’s statement is below.

“When Vice President Biden lost his beloved son, Beau, to cancer, he found strength in his sorrow. He resolved to do everything he could to ease others’ suffering and prevent other families from going through what he had.

Since the launch of the Cancer Moonshot initiative, Vice President Biden has spurred unprecedented cooperation between federal agencies and leaders in the private and nonprofit sectors. Together, they are creating new protocols to promote the sharing of research data, pushing for more enrollment in clinical trials, and providing new tools for patients. And all of this effort is taking advantage of the incredible strides we have made in recent years to grapple with this disease. We know more than we ever have about the biology of cancer, how to prevent it, and how to treat it. We need to do more to build on these developments, advance our understanding, and develop more effective treatments. Simply put, if we make the right investments today, we can save lives.

To start, Congress should fulfill the administration’s request for moonshot funding next year. Cancer does not discriminate, and I believe leaders of both parties can come together to tackle this disease as part of a comprehensive effort to improve medical research across diseases, both by restoring robust funding to the National Institutes of Health, including the National Cancer Institute, and by harnessing the power of the private sector. And we will continue to build on Vice President Biden’s work to mobilize the cancer community, make sure that scientists work together, and enable more patients to enroll in clinical trials. By combining new funding with creative approaches, we will not only catalyze progress against cancer: We will strengthen the nation’s entire scientific enterprise.

I could not be prouder to stand with Vice President Biden in this fight, and as President, I will take up the charge. My Administration will carry out the mission the Vice President has set, and continue to call on his advice, leadership, compassion, and sheer strength of will. Together, we will seize this moment. Together, we will make cancer as we know it a disease of the past.”

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Also, be sure to subscribe to the campaign’s official Podcast, With Her.

News Source: The Washington Post