Mental health inequalities are expected to cost $14 billion between now and 2040, according to a new study from the Meharry Medical College School of Global Health and the Deloitte Health Equity Institute.
The analysis concluded that unaddressed mental health conditions create a significant economic burden for the country and that eliminating inequities in treatment could lead to significant health care savings.
“In this country, which we recognize, we’ve never been able to accomplish anything, especially in politics, unless we can demonstrate value to the government,” study leader Daniel Dawes said on The Hill’s “Mind the Gap: The Event’s Cost of Mental Health Disparities” on Wednesday.
“We said: ‘let’s project the costs’, because we don’t know or understand the economic impact. And that’s where you see the numbers moving in that direction. So we’re thinking about the cost of all this as a simple solution.”
Dawes was joined by Reps. Ritchie Torres (DN.Y.) and Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) on the panel, which was hosted by Otsuka and moderated by The Hill’s Cheyanne Daniels. Lawmakers explained their personal relationship with mental health advocacy.
“I have struggled with depression for most of my life. Every morning I take an antidepressant,” Torres said.
“I can honestly say that I would not be alive today, let alone in Congress, if it were not for the power of mental health care and the capacity it has brought to my life,” he added.
McClain recounted his experience witnessing a close friend’s son lose his battle with mental health issues. She explained that the event led her to seek reforms in the system, specifically against the decriminalization of mental illnesses and increasing access to care.
“We need to see radical changes, viable changes. For you to spend more than three days being evaluated is unbelievable,” she told the panel. “If you had cancer or a broken leg, we would be outraged by that.”
“You have to start somewhere. The legislation is bipartisan. Mental health has no political boundaries,” she added.
McClain is co-chair of the bipartisan Task Force on Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders, which has advocated for legislation to reduce fentanyl overdoses through prevention and treatment strategies, and loan repayment programs for healthcare professionals. who will work in areas with few resources. .
Dawes argued that “each time we have been able to promote egalitarian or equity-focused policies, we have seen the health of the entire nation improve.”
He cited a study that found that passage of the Civil Rights Act prevented 38,600 deaths, highlighting the need for investment in communities of color where “stress and trauma” are disproportionately seen.
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