Congressman Dan Goldman Introduces Michelle Go Act to Help Alleviate Mental Health Crisis
The ‘Michelle Go Act’ Would Expand Access to Psychiatric Care by Allowing Federal Medicaid to Pay for Psychiatric Beds in Certain Facilities
Introduced During Mental Health Awareness Month, Legislation will Remove Barriers to Mental Health Care, Improve Public Safety
Read the Bill Here
Washington, DC – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10), Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11), Congressman Tony Cárdenas (CA-29), and Congressman Gus M. Bilirakis (FL-12) today introduced the ‘Michelle Alyssa Go Act’ to increase the number of federal Medicaid-eligible in-patient psychiatric beds for individuals who are seeking treatment for both mental health and substance use disorders.
Introduced during Mental Health Awareness Month, this bipartisan legislation also requires mental health facilities that receive federal Medicaid funding to meet nationally recognized, evidence-based standards for mental health or substance use disorder programs.
The ‘Michelle Alyssa Go Act’ is named after a 40-year-old woman who 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 man experiencing homelessness 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. The bill is supported by Michelle’s father, Justin Go.
“If our country had a more comprehensive and equitable mental health care system, Michelle Go might still be alive today,” Congressman Dan Goldman said. “In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the mental health crisis in America is more dire than ever. More and more, those in desperate need of acute mental health care are unable to receive it, leading to tragic consequences. We have the opportunity to make sure that the tragedy of Michelle Go’s death never happens again by helping those on Medicaid to get the treatment they need. I’ve introduced this legislation to honor Michelle’s memory, close this equity gap in mental health care, lift up our communities, make our streets safer, and ensure that those seeking help can get the care they want.”
Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis said, “What happened to Michelle Go was a preventable tragedy that could've been avoided had her attacker not fallen through the cracks of our criminal justice system and received access to the psychiatric care he desperately needed. I'm proud to join Representative Goldman in introducing this bipartisan legislation to expand the number of psychiatric beds Medicaid will cover, giving more opportunities for New Yorkers with severe mental illness to receive treatment and support.”
Congressman Tony Cárdenas said, “We have the opportunity to help millions of Americans living with mental health and substance use disorders. The Michelle Alyssa Go Act is an important step in addressing the rising mental health and substance use crisis, providing health centers with critical resources needed to provide life-saving crisis care.”
Congressman Gus M. Bilirakis said, “We need to do everything we can to ensure Medicaid patients with the most complex mental and behavioral conditions get the care they need and that we allow enough flexibility in statute to enable placement settings that best meet their individual needs. Our bill moves us forward in achieving that goal.”
Justin Go, father of Michelle Go said, “The Go family is deeply grateful to Congressman Dan Goldman for honoring our daughter’s, Michelle Alyssa Go's, legacy with this mental health bill. This legislation to increase the number of beds funded in mental health hospitals is a critical first step in preventing future tragedies by fixing a part of the very systems that failed her.”
Lisa Dailey, Executive Director of Treatment Advocacy Center said, “The Michelle Alyssa Go Act is a critical step forward in providing meaningful access to lifesaving treatment for individuals in need of acute care. The bill's requirement that facilities receiving Medicaid funds adhere to national quality standards is a powerful statement that hospitals can and should be places of healing."
Hannah Wesolowski, Chief Advocacy Officer of the National Alliance on Mental Illness said, “Medicaid’s prohibition on paying for inpatient psychiatric care is discriminatory and has a real-life impact on people’s ability to access needed treatment. Representative Goldman’s Michelle Alyssa Go Act will help address the lack of inpatient mental health beds available for those who need care, by allowing Medicaid to pay for care in more mental health facilities.”
Brian Hepburn, MD, Executive Director of the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors said, “National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) supports the Michelle Alyssa Go Act as this will assist crisis stabilization and receiving programs in the crisis continuum to better serve the communities of high utilization areas as 988 needs continue to increase.”
Michael J. Schweinsburg, New York City Disability Advocate said, “This is a thoughtful piece of legislation that meaningfully addresses the obvious need for more in-patient psychiatric bed capacity in acute circumstances while acknowledging concerns from the disability community around over-institutionalization. As a disability advocate in New York, I believe that this legislation will make our city safer and create pathways for those who need it most to access quality care.”
Matthew Chase, Executive Director of the National Association of Counties said, “Outdated federal restrictions on inpatient care have created significant obstacles in providing effective, necessary mental health services. We applaud Congress for taking a bipartisan step towards modernizing the Institutions for Mental Diseases exclusion that would reduce inequities and lower barriers to comprehensive behavioral health treatment.”
Shawn Coughlin, President and CEO for the National Association for Behavioral Healthcare said, “NABH supports the Michelle Alyssa Go Act, which would more than double the number of Medicaid-eligible inpatient beds for people with mental illness who need critical mental health services. As NABH continues to advocate for Congress to repeal the Medicaid program’s outdated IMD exclusion, we believe this legislation would open access to the necessary behavioral healthcare services in the appropriate setting for those who need it desperately.”
Justin Zhu, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Stand with Asian Americans said, “Stand with Asians Americans (SwAA) strongly supports The Michelle Alyssa Go Act. While nothing can undo the devastation of Michelle’s murder, this legislation is a meaningful step that addresses some of the systemic flaws that led to this tragedy. SwAA stands with the Go Family in their pursuit of closure as well as their tireless efforts to prevent another senseless attack. We thank Congressman Dan Goldman for his leadership. We urge Congress to honor Michelle’s legacy by supporting and passing this important legislation.”
Wendy Nguyen and Darlene Tran, Co-Founders of Asian Americans Rise said, “Asian Americans Rise is proud to support Congressman Dan Goldman and the Michelle Alyssa Go Act. Michelle was the victim of a senseless murder by a man who slipped through the cracks in our mental health system. Michelle's death and the rise of AAPI hate crimes has robbed millions of Asian Americans of their sense of safety. This legislation helps close gaps in our country's mental health infrastructure that led to this tragedy while also providing a strong foundation to improve public safety and allow Americans to once again feel safe in their communities.”
Jonah C. Cunningham, President and CEO of the National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors said, “Bed caps and other administrative burdens block individuals from critical behavioral health services or divert them to inappropriate settings like jails. The Michelle Alyssa Go Act would help remove some of these barriers and connect people to life-saving care.”
Serra E. Eken, President of 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.”
Gordon Lavigne, CEO of the Schizophrenia Policy Action Network said, “Because the discriminatory IMD exclusion severely limits Medicaid coverage for inpatient psychiatric care, we have a dangerous shortage of beds for people with schizophrenia and other severe brain diseases who need urgent care. This legislation is an important step toward righting that wrong -- and getting people the treatment they need and deserve.”
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, known as an Institution for Mental Diseases (IMD). The ‘Michelle Go Act’ would raise the limit for a facility to be eligible for Medicaid coverage, from 16 in-patient psychiatric beds to 36. This would more than double the beds eligible to be funded by federal Medicaid in statute. The bill also ensures these facilities meet nationally recognized, evidence-based standards of care.
The prohibition on Medicaid coverage, also known as the IMD exclusion, has been in effect since Medicaid was created in 1965 and has resulted in people being unable to access mental health care, as many do not have the funds to cover these services out of pocket and many institutions have downsized their capacity.
Last March, a little over a year after Michelle Go's death, a man named Carlton McPherson was accused of fatally shoving a stranger in front of a subway train. He had previously been placed at a specialized shelter in New York City, but there was not enough oversight or resources available to properly care for him.
The ‘Michelle Alyssa Go Act’ has been endorsed by the Treatment Advocacy Center, National Alliance on Mental Illness, the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors, the National Association of Counties, the National Association for Behavioral Healthcare, Stand with Asian Americans, Asian Americans Rise, the National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors, the New York Junior League, and the Schizophrenia Policy Action Network.
Congressman Dan Goldman is committed to alleviating the mental health crisis in America.
In June of 2023, Congressman Goldman and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced the ‘Strengthening Medicaid for Serious Mental Illness Act’ to support individuals living with serious mental illnesses (SMI) such as schizophrenia, bipolar illness, and major depressive disorder. This legislation creates a new package of services under Medicaid that specifically aims to provide care to individuals living with SMI, sets a national standard for SMI care, and incentivizes states to provide intensive community-based services to treat SMI.
Additionally, Goldman cosponsored the ‘Reentry Act’ to empower states to restore access to health care for incarcerated individuals 30 days before their release. Restarting Medicaid benefits 30 days pre-release eases the ability of states to provide effective addiction treatment and services, allows for smoother transitions to community care, and reduces the risk of overdose deaths post-release.
In November, the Congressman cosponsored the ‘Helping Kids Cope Act’ to support pediatric behavioral health care initiatives and community-based programs in the face of the growing pediatric mental health crisis. The bill would authorize grants to improve the coordination and integration of pediatric behavioral health services across the country.
###