Friends of Andrew Yang
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 11, 2019

ANDREW YANG ANNOUNCES PLANS TO EXPAND MENTAL HEALTH COVERAGE AND INVEST IN TELEHEALTH

 
NEW YORK — Andrew Yang today announced his plans to expand mental health coverage and increase the use of telehealth to improve the wellbeing of all Americans. Mental health is an important component of people’s overall health, and utilizing telehealth will enhance quality of life and reduce hospital visits, while curbing deaths from chronic diseases.

“Comprehensive care in the 21st century means including crucial aspects of wellbeing and we should be integrating regular mental health checkups into primary care,” said Andrew Yang. “Telehealth is an especially effective approach in rural areas and for mental health services, and it will allow licensed physicians to administer medical services and medication with ease and increase accessibility for patients.”

Mental health should be treated more seriously by our healthcare system. There is a mental health crisis in America with 1 in 5 adults experiencing mental illness annually. Our life expectancy is declining due in part to increasing rates of suicide, especially among American youth. The teen suicide rate has gone up 56% from 2007 to 2017, and it is the second leading cause of death for Americans between the ages 10 and 34. 7.7 million youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year, but only half receive treatment. 

Our veterans, too, do not receive the necessary mental health treatment they need when they come home. 22 veterans commit sucide every day since many don’t seek treatment. We need to destigmatize veteran treatment and support their stability to ensure a successful transition to civilian life.

Additionally, the demand for physicians is outpacing the available supply, and the shortage is causing problems for the nation's growing and aging population. Telehealth is an effective approach for doctors across the country to provide care for patients in rural and underserved areas over the internet without needing a specific redundant license to practice medicine in the patient’s state. To facilitate telehealth, we must streamline the licensing system and introduce a single, comprehensive telemedicine license that, once granted, will allow care providers to see patients in all 50 states. 

Read Andrew Yang’s plan to expand mental health coverage here.
Read Andrew Yang’s plan to invest in telehealth here.
 
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https://www.yang2020.com/policies/mental-health/

INVEST IN AMERICA'S MENTAL HEALTH

Mental health is an important component of our overall health, and it should be treated that way by our healthcare system. There is a mental health crisis in America with 1 in 5 adults experiencing mental illness annually. 

Our life expectancy is declining due in part to increasing rates of suicide, especially among American youth. The teen suicide rate has gone up 56% from 2007 to 2017, and it is the second leading cause of death for Americans between the ages 10 and 34. 7.7 million youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year, but only half receive treatment. Anxiety and depression levels are at record highs. People of color and the LGBTQ community also experience higher risk of mental health issues due to disproportionate social and economic challenges.

Our veterans, too, do not receive the necessary mental health treatment they need when they come home. 22 veterans commit suicide every day since many don’t seek treatment due to embarrassment or shame. We need to destigmatize veteran treatment and support their stability to ensure successful transition to civilian life.

Substance abuse and mental health account for 1 of 8 emergency department visits. Only 43% of Americans with a mental illness receive treatment due to inadequate insurance coverage and provider shortages. It is urgent to integrate mental health care into health insurance plans and destigmatize mental health care while encouraging an increase in the number of people able to provide treatment.

Outside of mental illness, applying evidence-based stress relief methods in hospitals has been shown to shorten the length of stay. This is just one example of how caring for a patient’s mental health has demonstrable cost benefits. By creating a healthcare system that recognizes mental health as an integral part of physical health, we can improve both.


PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED


  • There is currently a mental health crisis in America as suicides, anxiety and depression are at record highs
  • Mental health is often treated as a separate set of issues and resources rather than integrated into the greater health care system
  • Many communities lack access to psychologists and social workers
  • Mental health issues continue to be stigmatized

Americans are not doing well, and we need to change it. My brother is a psychology professor and I believe strongly in the power of counseling and treatment to improve people’s mental and emotional well-being. One major priority is to integrate mental health with our greater health care system - if someone comes to the hospital suffering from diabetes, obesity or substance abuse, there is often a link to their holistic mental health. Too many Americans don’t seek treatment, don’t have the resources, or resort to self-medication. A healthy population is a productive one. We will do all we can to establish a sense of well-being for millions who are currently suffering and remove the stigma from depression in particular.


GOALS

  • Improve the mental health of millions of Americans
  • Integrate mental and emotional wellness into the greater health care system
  • Increase access to mental health resources
  • Diminish the stigma around mental health issues, particularly depression

As President, I will...

  • Integrate regular mental health checkups into primary care.
  • Provide new funds for suicide prevention and awareness competency training for school administrators and teachers, and provide greater access to mental health services in schools.
  • Build the mental health workforce through expansion of training programs and loan forgiveness programs for those that choose to provide these services to rural and underprivileged areas.
  • Invest in veteran mental health, and improve funding to crisis helplines
  • Utilize the current telehealth system to alleviate the widespread shortage of mental healthcare professionals, remove accessibility barriers caused by distance and transportation, and provide treatment from the privacy of patients’ homes.
  • Begin a national anti-stigma campaign for mental health issues, “Everybody Needs Help Sometimes.”

https://www.yang2020.com/policies/investing-in-telehealth/

INVESTING IN TELEHEALTH

The advancement of health and communication tech has the potential to increase access to care while reducing overhead. We should invest in expanding existing technologies to reach those in underserved areas, especially the 77% of rural counties that are considered rural primary care deserts, 9% of which have no physicians at all. 

The demand for physicians is outpacing the available supply, and the shortage is causing problems for the nation’s growing and aging population. Telehealth is an effective approach for doctors across the country to provide care for patients in rural and underserved areas over the internet without needing a specific redundant license to practice medicine in the patient’s state. Utilizing telehealth will enhance quality of life and reduce hospital visits, while curbing deaths from chronic diseases.


Patients will be able to access treatment that may not be conveniently located. About 62% of rural counties are not equipped to provide services such as Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES). Numerous case studies have illustrated the benefits of telehealth for DSMES so far. For example, once a rural clinic in Montana implemented it, 
61% of participants began monitoring their blood sugar accurately after just six months, an improvement from 31% pre-telehealth. The services have also shown positive results for mental health, stroke treatment, cardiac rehabilitation and cancer treatment. 

Medication abortion has similar efficacy of terminating early pregnancy as in-person abortions. Enlarging the geographical footprint of medical providers through telehealth can improve access to abortion in the 
27 US cities with populations greater than 50,000 people that have no abortion clinics within 100 miles.

Telehealth is a cost-effective alternative to the more traditional face-to-face way of providing medical care and has the potential to save billions annually, while improving healthcare related to strokes, cardiac services, diabetes, and epilepsy. Ensuring healthcare for all also requires federal regulation of telehealth and expanding it in a way where we can distribute services and treatment.

As we continue to invest in medical innovation, we must integrate assistive technology into the primary care provided by doctors and nurses. Existing technologies like telehealth and emerging technology like medical AI must be leveraged to expand care. Working together through telemedicine, teams of nurses, AI, and doctors will be able to provide care to thousands of Americans that currently have limited access to healthcare.


As this technology advances, we need to trust in our nurses and nurse practitioners to provide care that’s historically the responsibility of MDs. This will be essential in providing access to care across rural areas and can even be supervised by a doctor through a telehealth system. This new system, combining the best of AI, telehealth, and professional expertise will allow for a more flexible and responsive health force without sacrificing quality of care.


Human anatomy doesn’t change across state lines, but doctors are still required to obtain medical licenses for each state they practice in. These onerous relicensing requirements discourage qualified doctors from providing essential care through telemedicine to those in other states. We must streamline the licensing system and introduce a single, comprehensive telemedicine license that, once granted, will allow care providers to see patients in all 50 states. Federal regulation of medical licensing will remove this friction and encourage doctors to start practicing telemedicine and make inroads into primary care deserts.


PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED

  • The shortage of physicians is outpacing the demands of the nation’s growing and aging population.
  • Rural communities are disproportionately affected by the inaccessibility to healthcare providers.
  • Physicians are experiencing redundant medical licensing barriers that are expensive and slow down the process of providing medical services to Americans across state lines.

    “With greater telehealth infrastructure, we can help nurse practitioners and other health professionals provide a higher level of care under the digital supervision of a doctor. By harnessing the power of technology, we can ensure that the healthcare system functions more efficiently and effectively."


GOALS

  • Expand our current telehealth system so physicians are not limited to treating patients within state lines.
  • Utilize telehealth services and ensure broadband access for 99.9% of Americans.
  • Implement federal medical licensing to physicians to practice telehealth across state lines.

As President, I will...

  • Encourage the use of telehealth in rural areas and for mental health services.
  • Invest into the use of telehealth in rural areas including ensuring broadband access for 99.9% of Americans.
  • Allow licensed physicians to administer medical services and medication through telehealth services.
  • Invest in the development and deployment of medical technology in rural areas to assist Nurse Practitioners and other professionals in administering vital care in areas where an MD is not physically present.
  • Implement federal regulations over telehealth.
  • Implement federal medical licensing to physicians to practice telehealth across state lines.