State Senator Karina Villa stood alongside State Representative Lindsey LaPointe and fellow legislators and advocates to call for equity in mental health and substance use treatment. Senate Bill 55, with corresponding House Bill 1085, would require insurers to cover medically necessary out-of-network mental health and substance use benefits as if they were in-network. The measures would also set minimum reimbursement rates for care providers for proper compensation of their services and incentivize providers to join insurance networks. According to the Illinois Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Health, over 1.7 million adults in Illinois live with a mental health condition. Additionally, 61.8 percent of Illinoisans aged 12-17 who have depression did not receive care according to 2021 data. House Bill 1085 passed the House Mental Health and Addiction Committee Thursday.