Dr. Rebecca Weintraub Brendel, associate director for the Center for Bioethics and president-elect of the American Psychiatric Association (APA), spoke at a hearing on “Communities in Need: Legislation to Support Mental Health and Well-Being” on Tuesday, April 5, 2022. She was joined by five other panelists to give testimony before the Committee on Energy and Commerce to promote evidence-based solutions to solve our mental health crisis. Brendel spoke out in support of H.R. 7254, the “Mental Health Justice and Parity Act of 2022.”
"There are high rates of depression and anxiety in this country that exceed pre-pandemic levels; we know that individuals with preexisting health conditions fair worse when there is no parity. Parity is something we need to effect and need to effect immediately," Brendel said. “Congress should also stop allowing non-federal governmental health plans to opt-out of the parity law’s coverage requirements.”