Congressman Dan Goldman to Introduce Michelle Go Act to Help Alleviate Mental Health Crisis
Legislation Would Expand Access to Psychiatric Care by Allowing Medicaid to Pay for Psychiatric Beds in Certain Facilities
Requires Facilities to Meet Nationally Recognized, Evidence-Based Standards of Care
New York, NY – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) today announced he will be introducing the Michelle Alyssa Go Act in the 118th Congress. The Michelle Go Act would ensure the ability to open up desperately needed psychiatric beds by allowing Medicaid to pay for them in facilities with more than 16 beds.
“On the anniversary week of Michelle Go’s tragic death, we must commit to honoring her memory by addressing the massive gaps in our mental health care infrastructure,” Congressman Dan Goldman said. “We must provide mental health treatment for those who want it, and this bill will increase the supply of beds for that treatment. As we move through the process of finalizing the details of this bill, I look forward to engaging with stakeholders from across the spectrum of care to ensure this is an entirely collaborative effort to craft a policy that is not a Band-Aid fix but instead goes to the heart of some of the root causes of the mental health crisis we face in this city and country.”
Last year, a 40-year-old woman named Michelle Alyssa Go was tragically pushed to her death in front of an incoming subway train at a stop in Times Square. After the attack, a 61-year-old homeless man with diagnosed Schizophrenia named Martial Simon admitted to shoving Go in front of the train.
According to news reports, after showing signs of schizophrenia in his 30s, Mr. Simon spent time bouncing between hospitals, jails, and outpatient psychiatric programs without ever receiving the long-term care he needed.
While those suffering from mental illness are far more likely to be victims of violence than perpetrators, this tragedy proved a stark reminder of the glaring gaps in our mental health infrastructure that leaves far too many people to fall through the cracks.
Under current federal law, Medicaid is prohibited from covering long-term stays for patients between the ages of 21 and 64 who are receiving mental health or substance abuse treatment in a facility with more than 16 beds.
This prohibition, also known as the Institution for Mental Diseases (IMD) exclusion, has been in effect since Medicaid was created in 1965 and has resulted in people like Martial Simon not being able to access care, as they do not have the money to cover these services out of their own pockets.
The Michelle Alyssa Go Act would repeal the IMD exclusion and allow facilities with more than 16 beds to be reimbursed by Medicaid.
This legislation also creates a standard for these facilities to require these institutions to meet nationally recognized, evidence-based standards for mental health or substance use disorder programs.
Congressman Jerrold Nadler said, “It is clear that the gaps in our nation’s current health care system failed Michelle Go and her family. Millions of Americans are unable to access the care they need due to the broad coverage exclusion for those on Medicaid seeking long-term treatment for mental illness or substance abuse. I am proud to join in honoring Michelle’s memory by cosponsoring this important legislation to address these gaps so that we can deliver essential mental health care to those who need it most.”
City Council Member Keith Powers said, “We have a mental health crisis in New York City that needs solutions of this caliber to fix it. Expanding mental health treatment options by allowing for Medicaid reimbursement of psychiatric beds in hospitals is a necessary step for getting New Yorkers the care they need. I am grateful for Congressman Goldman’s leadership and partnership on this critical issue.”
City Council Member Carlina Rivera said, “Racialized misogyny against AAPI women isn’t new, but we’ve seen an uptick in violence since the pandemic started. In response to an alarming rise in anti-Asian violence and biased hate, particularly in Lower Manhattan, my team and I have hosted an Interfaith Roundtable, Bystander Intervention training, and a Stop Asian Hate Day of Visibility with the New York City Commission on Human Rights. These are part of a continued focus on community-based public safety and making sure that we are all stepping in to stop bias and hate crimes. We have to do more to address public safety and the dearth of mental health services. The City and State must strengthen the safety net, which includes bolstering government programs and community-based organizations. New Yorkers want bold policy to tackle big issues like public safety – and that’s what we deserve.”
City Council Member Erik Bottcher said, “The horrific murder of Michelle Go was preventable. So is the suffering of countless Americans with untreated mental illness. It’s unconscionable that current federal law prohibits Medicaid from covering most impatient psychiatric services. As someone who spent time in a mental health hospital as a young person, I know how critical these services are to saving lives. They should be available to all. I want to thank Congressman Goldman for his leadership on this issue.”
Former Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney said, “Thank you to Dan Goldman for taking my Michelle Go bill and moving it forward. The Go bill would fix an insane Federal law that bars Federal dollars to treatment centers to 16 beds or more— an unworkable model for NYC. The bill would repeal the IMD exclusion and allow facilities with more than 16 beds to be reimbursed by Medicaid. Go’s murder was a tragedy for our city, our nation. It would be an even greater tragedy if we did nothing and allowed it to happen again.”
Founder of the Greenburger Center for Social and Criminal Justice Francis Greenburger said, “Amending the discriminatory federal IMD Rule is a critical and long overdue step to fixing our country’s broken mental health system. The Greenburger Center stands ready to assist Congressman Goldman in taking this step as one of his first initiatives in Congress.”
Director of Policy at the National Alliance on Mental Illness of New York City (NAMI-NYC) Kimberly Blair said, “The IMD exclusion puts an arbitrary limit on the number of beds a psychiatric hospital or residential treatment program is allowed to be reimbursed for under Medicaid. We must take action to ensure New Yorkers experiencing a mental health emergency will receive help regardless of their income.”
The New York Junior League said, “The Michelle Alyssa Go Act is a critical first step in offering adequate, consistent care to those in greatest need and improves the community for all New Yorkers. We appreciate that Michelle Go and her dedication to the community can be honored in this way.
Executive Director of the Treatment Advocacy Center Lisa Dailey said, “Treatment Advocacy Center supports the full repeal of the Medicaid IMD exclusion. This discriminatory federal law denies coverage to people with severe mental illness while allowing federal Medicaid funds to pay for treatment of other health conditions. The IMD exclusion singles out people with mental illness and treats them as second-class Medicaid recipients. The Michelle Alyssa Go Act will correct this injustice and we ask Congress to pass it. People with severe mental illness have lived without medically necessary care for too long.”
President of the American Society of Addiction Medicine William F. Haning, MD said, “The American Society of Addiction Medicine applauds today’s introduction of the Michelle Allysa Go Act, which would allow federal payment under Medicaid for services provided in residential addiction treatment facilities across the country if they meet nationally recognized standards, such as The ASAM Criteria. Patients who suffer from chronic medical conditions like addiction can achieve remission and sustain recovery when high quality, coordinated whole-person care is readily available and affordable. The Michelle Allysa Go Act represents thoughtful legislation that will help treat addiction and save lives.”
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