Kerry Tipper

When I was elected in 2018, I wanted to ensure that every Coloradan had equitable and meaningful access to mental health care. That’s why I was proud to support bills like HB19-1269 (Mental Health Parity in Medicaid) and SB19-222 (Improving Access to Mental Health Services for Individuals at Risk of Institutionalization). Good mental health should not be treated as less important than good physical health, especially because the two are inseparable. You can’t have one without the other.  I also believe investments in mental health are good fiscal policy. They result in cost-savings down the line and produce better and more humanitarian results. As a state legislator, I will continue to ensure that people are not denied care because of their income and that health care is always inclusive of mental health care.

Finally, I’ll mention that this pandemic has exacerbated long-standing issues and inequities in our communities. We see people’s lives torn apart not just by the virus, but by its social and economic consequences (isolation, unemployment, housing insecurity, financial stress, etc.). These challenges have shown us that that expanding mental health care access, particularly through telehealth, is long overdue. Moving forward, I will support those expansion efforts if I am re-elected.