Patrick J. Kennedy: “It is shocking. Literally as shocking as it is that we don't address mental health in our healthcare system is that we…”

We have so underfunded this system for so long, why is it a big surprise that we don't have enough providers in the field?

If this were any other issue we would move heaven and Earth to deal with it. In COVID we responded right away, everybody inoculation, everybody out there. The longest impact of COVID is going to be mental health, and yet, we don't treat it.

This is why it is time to pass the Telemental Health Expansion Act which I introduced, as I mentioned, with Congresswoman Doris Matsui.

We wouldn't expect any less if there were any other illness. And yet we settled for less than 20 percent of Americans getting any of that today in this country.