MILWAUKEE — During a visit to Milwaukee's Wellpoint Care Network, White House adviser Neera Tanden and Secretary of Labor Julie Su announced new measures aimed at expanding mental health and substance abuse services.
The initiative is part of a broader effort to improve access to treatment and reduce the cost of mental health care for communities in need.
David Muhammad, deputy director of Health and Human Services, emphasized the importance of addressing these issues.
"It's critical," he said. "It's what we're seeing every day with our young people and our older adults," Muhammad said.
The new rule seeks to lower mental health care costs and improve accessibility. Muhammad, who works closely with communities facing mental health challenges, believes this is a positive step forward.
Watch: White House announce action to increase mental health, substance abuse services
"Most people don’t have confidence in reaching out for help. And when they do, they encounter delays, barriers, and obstacles—whether it’s paperwork or insurance not covering the care they need," Muhammad explained.
Ann Leinfelder Grove, president and CEO of Wellpoint, echoed similar concerns.
"Mental health care is not easy to access. There can be delays, there can be hurdles," she said.
The new policy places requirements on insurance health plans to ensure people get the help they need.
"Mental health parity means you receive the same access to care and quality of care for a mental health condition as you would for a physical condition," Leinfelder Grove added.
Nze Okoronta, executive director of peer services for SOAR case management services, shared her personal experiences with mental health challenges and how the new rule could impact communities.
"It gives me hope that the mental health issues I've experienced won’t be so stigmatized or treated separately by providers," she said.
Okoronta, who now works with others struggling to navigate the system, believes these changes will help foster trust between communities and care providers.
"This is going to open up a lot of opportunities for people to seek care. But communities need to be involved first because there’s historical mistrust—oppression, experimentation, sectioning, incarceration, and the removal of our children. So, these services shouldn’t necessarily be fully trusted. Now, the community actually gets to have a say in the dissemination of care and the kind of providers we want to see," Okoronta explained.
She concluded by emphasizing the importance of local action.
"What happens here is very important, but the power is still with the people in their communities," Okoronta said.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
