5 agency takeaways from Clinton’s mental health plan

Hillary Clinton unveiled her expansive plan for mental health care reform on Aug. 29, promising federal action on issues ranging from suicide prevention to LGBT counseling to post-traumatic stress care.

"The economic impact of mental illness is enormous — at nearly $200 billion per year nationwide in lost earnings — and the human cost is worse," officials for the Democratic presidential nominee said in a statement announcing the plan on her website. "Too many Americans are being left to face mental health problems on their own, and too many individuals are dying prematurely from associated health conditions. We must do better."

Related: Read the plan

As part of the plan, Clinton plans to employ the resources of the Departments of Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Labor, Veterans Affairs, and Education to tackle some of the prominent issues surrounding mental health.

Here are five takeaways from the plan that involve federal agencies:

A national initiative on suicide prevention

The Clinton plan directs HHS, VA and DOE to develop plans for suicide prevention, plans research for a "cross-government initiative headed by the Surgeon General," and also extend suicide prevention programs in high schools, colleges and universities.

Expand Medicaid and Medicare for Health IT services

The plan also calls for an adjustment of Medicare and Medicaid payment systems to cover telehealth and tele-psychiatry services. HHS is currently developing interoperability standards to help promote the broader use of Health IT services, including telehealth.

Insurance plan enforcement

Clinton’s proposal would strengthen measures in both the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 and the Affordable Care Act that empower agencies to audit insurers’ mental health coverage and requirements.

The plan includes giving HHS and the Department of Labor the power to compel insurers to disclose their policies on denying mental health coverage, as well as bolster compliance monitoring.

Housing and jobs policies for individuals with mental illness

Clinton calls for HHS and HUD to develop a plan where the agencies partner to offer Housing Choice Vouchers and mortgage assistance subsidies to individuals who qualify for mental health aid.

The plan estimates average costs of $1 billion over the next decade for the housing subsidies, plus expanding HHS’ "Transforming Lives Through Supported Employment" program — a jobs initiative that provides grants to states to create employment opportunities for individuals with mental illness.

New funding for PTSD

The Clinton proposal calls for more funding to expand post-traumatic stress disorder research in the hopes of developing cross-agency cooperation between the National Institutes of Health and ongoing studies at the Department of Defense, VA and HHS.

Clinton’s opponent, Republican Donald Trump, also called for mental health reform as part of his broader health care plan, but has yet to elaborate on which specific initiatives he plans to pursue.