Policy Areas
Key issues and legislation shaping mental health care and community wellbeing.
NAMI Chicago advocates for policies that strengthen the mental health system, expand access to care, and support long-term recovery. Below are the key issue areas and legislation we are currently advancing.
Insurance and Access
Mental Health on College Campuses
Issue: Access to mental health services on public college and university campuses remains inconsistent, leaving many students without the support they need. The Mental Health Early Action on Campus Act (MHEACA), passed in 2019, expanded access to campus-based services across Illinois. However, $23.5 million in appropriations are still needed to fully implement the Act.
Relevant bill: 110 ILCS 58/ Mental Health Early Action on Campus Act
Policy win: In Illinois’ 2026 budget, we helped secure $16.5 million in ongoing funding of mental health services for public university and community college campuses, ensuring young people across Illinois get the support they need to succeed.
Federal Medicaid & SNAP
Issue: The federal government’s 2025 budget reconciliation bill included reckless cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). We are preparing for cuts to Medicaid set to begin in 2027 and advocating to restore funding to food assistance.
Relevant bill: HR1 – Federal budget reconciliation bill (2025)
Policy win: [Placeholder]
Substance Use Treatment Coverage
Issue: Limited insurance coverage for residential substance use treatment creates barriers to care.
Relevant bill: HB4585 – Substance Use Treatment
Policy win: HB4585 amended the Illinois Insurance Code to ensure comprehensive coverage for substance use disorder treatment in residential settings.
Crisis System
Preventing Cost-Shifting to Medicaid
Issue: Commercial insurers do not currently contribute to funding crisis response or peer services, despite people across Illinois paying premiums to cover their healthcare. HB4785 would establish an assessment on commercial insurers to help fund the crisis continuum across Illinois.
Relevant bill: HB4785
Policy win: [Placeholder]
Implementing the Community Emergency Services Support Act
Issue: Behavioral health emergencies are often handled by law enforcement instead of trained mental health professionals. The Community Emergency Services Support Act (CESSA) was passed to create an alternative to police response but has not yet been fully implemented.
Relevant bill: Community Emergency Services Support Act (CESSA)
Policy win: [Placeholder]
Building the 988 Crisis Continuum
Issue: The behavioral health crisis system in Illinois remains precariously underfunded and underdeveloped. Individuals in crisis need someone to call, someone to respond, and somewhere to go. Without a robust crisis system, many people are forced into hospitals and jails, where they do not receive the care they need to recover.
Relevant bill: [Placeholder]
Policy win: Thanks to successful advocacy efforts, the State of Illinois amended the Telecommunications Excise Tax rate to generate $40 million annually for 988, mobile crisis teams, and community-based alternatives to emergency rooms and police response.
Strengthening Linkage to Follow-Up Care
Issue: People leaving crisis care often face delays or barriers to accessing follow-up services. HB4495 would allow up to 30 days of immediate support, including community services and medication monitoring, without requiring a full assessment before care begins.
Relevant bill: HB4495
Policy win: [Placeholder]
Community Wellbeing
Healthy Minds Healthy Lives Resolution
Issue: Mental health systems must be person-centered, community-based, and grounded in human rights. NAMI Chicago is working in coalition with other behavioral health organizations to create a system that promotes human rights, especially in a hostile federal policy environment.
Relevant bill: HJR0052 / SJR0051
Policy win: [Placeholder]
Homeless Bill of Rights
Issue: People experiencing homelessness are often penalized for basic survival activities. HB1429 amends the Bill of Rights for the Homeless Act to prohibit fines or criminal penalties for life-sustaining activities on public property.
Relevant bill: HB1429
Policy win: [Placeholder]
Home Illinois Program
Issue: Sustained investment is needed to address homelessness and housing instability across Illinois. HB4568 allocates $352.2 million to support housing and homelessness prevention through the Home Illinois Program.
Relevant bill: HB4568
Policy win: [Placeholder]
988 Information at Pharmacies
Issue: Awareness of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline remains low. HB4982 requires pharmacies to prominently display information about 988 at locations serving patients.
Relevant bill: HB4982
Policy win: [Placeholder]
Mental Health Code Protections (SB594)
Issue: Individuals should not be labeled as having a mental illness based solely on identity or housing status. SB594 ensures that sexual orientation, gender identity, and housing status are not used to define mental illness.
Relevant bill: SB594
Policy win: [Placeholder]
Research and Innovation
A Safe Place to Go Act
Issue: Emergency rooms are not designed to provide appropriate behavioral health crisis care. Behavioral Health Urgent Care centers offer safe, healing environments for people experiencing a behavioral health crisis, providing an alternative to emergency rooms.
Relevant bill: HB4448
Policy win: [Placeholder]
Ban on Supplements for Minors
Issue: Diet and muscle-building supplements can pose risks to young people. HB3027 prohibits the sale of weight-loss or muscle-building supplements to individuals under 18 unless prescribed by a healthcare provider.
Relevant bill: [Placeholder]
Policy win: [Placeholder]
YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN
Crisis system
Learn about the larger initiative to support the mental health crisis continuum, including someone to contact, someone to respond, and a safe place for help.
The recovery journey
Recovery is not one-size-fits-all. Learn how NAMI Chicago approaches recovery, what it can look like in everyday life, and how people build stability, connection, and purpose over time.
Mental health Information
Understand the types of mental health treatment, providers, and services available, and how to navigate care in Chicago and suburban Cook County.