On Being Very Smart: The Mental Health Community's Response in the Health Care Reform Debate

President Clinton's proposal for a health care system based on managed competition began a dialogue within the mental health community about whether such a system would work in the mental health area. In early March a large coalition representing more than 30 mental health organizations, including advocacy organizations, state systems, professional associations, provider agencies, families, and consumers, formally transmitted to the President's Task Force on National Health Care Reform a document presenting a unified position on how mental health care should be delivered within a reformed health care system. The consensus document, reproduced here, maintains that a full range of services must be available to all children and adults with mental or emotional disorders. The document presents guidelines for containing costs, for standards of delivery for mental health services, and for the role of the states and the federal government within the new health care system.