At his site Our Health Policy Matters, consultant Paul Gionfriddo writes that the extra $100 million in federal funding for mental health is more tokenism than real change. He says that’s a small portion, about 3 percent, of the overall Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration budget.
Gionfriddo also points out that states, not the federal government, hold more of the responsibility for mental health services. And this year, Florida and 13 other states either cut funding for mental health or held it stable.