WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representatives Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA-06) and Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA-14) and U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) are leading the charge in Congress to reduce the cost of behavioral and mental health care services for Pennsylvanians and all Americans who use TRICARE, the uniformed services health care program dedicated to eligible service members, veterans, and their families. The bipartisan, bicameral Stop Copay Overpay Act would cap out of pocket costs for behavioral and mental health outpatient visits by ensuring copays do not exceed those paid for primary care visits. According to examples from existing TRICARE plans, this legislation would reduce the cost of behavioral and mental health care visits by an average of 48%. Today, Casey introduced the bill in the U.S. Senate.

“As a veteran, I’ve seen too many brave men and women struggle to access the mental health care they need and deserve. It’s not right. Mental health care is health care, and creating cost parity between primary care visits and behavioral and mental health visits would be one giant leap forward in ending the stigma to seek treatment,” said Rep. Chrissy Houlahan. “I’m proud to partner with fellow Pennsylvanians Rep. Reschenthaler, a veteran, and Senator Casey, a longtime champion for Pennsylvania’s veterans, to introduce our Stop Copay Overpay Act. This bipartisan bill will ensure that our military families under TRICARE can access affordable mental health care. After all they have done for this nation, they deserve nothing less.”

In 2021, Representatives Chrissy Houlahan and Guy Reschenthaler introduced the Stop Copay Overpay Act. This year, Houlahan and Reschenthaler successfully included a version of their bill through the House-passed National Defense Authorization Act, otherwise known as the annual defense bill. Now, Senator Casey is championing the Stop Copay Overpay Act by introducing the bill in the Senate.

“We can never fully repay our servicemembers and their families for their sacrifice, but we can, and we must, ensure that they get the health care they deserve. This bill will ensure that members of the military, veterans, and their families pay the same amount for mental health care as they do for any other doctor’s visit,” said Senator Casey. “Military servicemembers paid the price to defend our Nation; now we must make sure that they can take care of their health and wellbeing.”

Houlahan added: “There is no better partner in the Senate for our military families than Senator Casey – I’m looking forward to our continued efforts to move this legislation forward together.”

Background:

In 2018, copays for behavioral and mental health concerns nearly doubled when these types of visits were classified as specialty care. Shortly after, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of ensuring service members and their families had access to mental and behavioral health was highlighted as individuals were restricted to their homes, often isolated from family, friends, and loved ones.

Today, over 9 million people across the country, including more than 160,000 Pennsylvanians, utilize TRICARE to provide for their routine care and other health needs. This includes treatment for improving mental health through individual and family therapy, substance abuse treatment, eating disorder treatment and other related services, including psychological testing and behavior analysis. High copays can deter individuals, especially retirees on a fixed income, from seeking or continuing mental or behavioral health care.

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