White House and Administrative Action on the Anniversary of the ADA

Disability Matters with Joyce Bender

August 1, 2023

#AdvocacyMatters Segment

White House and Administrative Action on the Anniversary of the ADA

To celebrate the 33rd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) last week, numerous White House initiatives and agency regulations were announced to reinforce disabled civil rights.

On July 25, 2023, President Biden issued a Proclamation to mark the anniversary. President Biden took the moment to celebrate the impact of the ADA and called for a renew push for opportunity and justice for our community.

On July 25, 2023, President Biden announced a new proposed rule to increase access to mental health services. The proposed rule would reinforce elements of the landmark 2008 Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act.

Mental health parity means access to mental health care services is equal to our access to healthcare services. Such parity includes, among other things, the removal of caps on the number of mental health care visits in a year and parity with out-of-pocket costs associated with our access to mental health care.

The new actions will require health plans to make changes when they are providing inadequate access to mental health care, prohibit health plans from using more restrictive prior authorization, and close loopholes in the original regulation.

On July 26, 2023, the U.S. Department of Transportation issued a final rule to the Air Carrier Access Act regulation to ensure lavatories on single-aisle aircraft are accessible. The new rule will require changes that permit an attendant and disabled person to approach, enter, and maneuver the lavatory. The new rule will

apply to aircraft with 125 or more seats. The U.S. DOT noted that 80% of all flights now take place on single-aisle planes of this size.

#AdvocacyMatters

We know #AdvocacyMatters. To learn more about the initiatives discussed in the show, visit, www.disabilityrightspa.org and click on today’s #AdvocacyMatters segment on our home page.

Links

President Biden’s Proclamation 10603 of July 25, 2023

Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, 2023 https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2023-07-28/pdf/2023-16212.pdf

White House Fact Sheel on Mental Health Action https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/07/25/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-takes-action-to-make-it-easier-to-access-in-network-mental-health-care/

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services – The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act https://www.cms.gov/CCIIO/Programs-and-Initiatives/Other-Insurance-Protections/mhpaea_factsheet

President Biden’s Remarks https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2023/07/25/remarks-by-president-biden-on-expanding-access-to-mental-health-care/

U.S. Department of Transportation Rule on Accessible Airline Lavatories https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/final-rule-accessible-lavatories-single-aisle-aircraft-PDF