4 Mental Health Bills Passed by the Colorado Legislature
The Colorado State Legislature has passed several bills that directly address mental health.
From MentalHealthColorado.org:
Law #1 - Insurance companies are required to cover mental health issues the same way they cover physical health issues. If an insurance company iiis caught not donig this, the state may deny them the right to raise rates.
Law #2 - Allow 12 year olds to seek counseling with out parental consent. The current law allows fifteen year olds to do this, but the state believed the age should be lower.
Law #3 - 3 million dollars allocated to hire 50 new school counselors. Schools must apply for the state grant.
Law #4 - A new pilot program allows schools to have a counselor in every grade K-5. The idea here is to help kids early, and discourage them from suicide. Fox 31 Denver is reporting that suicides are double the national average in the state of Colorado.