WASHINGTON, DC–Congressman Neal Dunn (FL-02) introduced HR 6994, The Mental Health TALK SAFE Act of 2025, legislation designed to address America’s growing mental health crisis by increasing access to psychiatrists nationwide while strengthening patient safety and accountability in telemedicine.
The United States faces a severe shortage of psychiatrists, with nearly 60% of counties lacking a single psychiatrist. Nearly one in four Americans experience a mental health condition each year, and a majority of individuals with a mental health condition do not receive treatment due to lack of access to care.
The Mental Health TALK SAFE Act of 2025 expands access to high-quality psychiatric care through telemedicine while implementing appropriate safeguards to ensure care is delivered by properly trained professionals. The bill also addresses dangerous prescribing practices by restricting bad actors, removing misaligned financial incentives, and ensuring controlled substances prescribed via telehealth adhere to FDA guidelines.
Congressman Dunn said, “Lack of access to care is the root cause of America’s mental health crisis. This is exemplified in Florida’s rural and underserved communities. In many parts of North Florida, families simply cannot find a psychiatrist, especially for children and seniors. The Mental Health TALK SAFE Act of 2025 expands access to high-quality psychiatric care through telemedicine while protecting patients from unsafe prescribing practices. As a physician, I understand the importance of ensuring Floridians can receive effective mental health care from qualified providers, no matter where they live.”
Currently, nearly 80% of psychotropic medications are prescribed by non-psychiatrists, with studies showing that up to 90% of those prescriptions are written without an appropriate mental health diagnosis. Inappropriate prescribing and fraudulent telemedicine business models have led to the misuse of controlled substances, prevented patients from receiving effective care, and cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars each year.
Research shows that psychiatric care delivered via telemedicine is safe and effective. By expanding psychiatrist-led telemedicine, the Mental Health TALK SAFE Act of 2025 is expected to:
- Preserve access to clinically appropriate medications for up to 18 million patients
- Bring psychiatric care to approximately 1,800 counties that currently have no psychiatrist
- Expand access for 169 million Americans living in Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas
- Increase access to child and adolescent psychiatrists in over 70% of U.S. counties
The Mental Health TALK SAFE Act of 2025 represents a
comprehensive approach to expanding access, improving quality, protecting patients, and reducing waste, fraud, and abuse, all while ensuring Americans can receive the mental health care they deserve, regardless of where they live.
Click
HERE to read the full text of the bill.
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