Georgia U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is rolling out new legislation to close what he believes is a shortfall in coverage from Medicare.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that roughly 20% of people over 55 have some mental disorder like anxiety or depression, but only a small fraction gets help.
“I want to remove and cut through that red tape so that seniors in Georgia on Medicare can access the mental health care services that they may need,” Ossoff told WSB’s Jonathan O’Brien.
Ossoff said he’s working with more than a dozen bipartisan senate colleagues on the legislation.
The legislation, known as the Mental Health Access Improvement Act, would eliminate the out-of-pocket costs for seniors seeking mental health, marriage, or family counseling.
A bill with the same name is working it’s way through the U.S. House.