This mental health advocate wants to make addiction and behavioral health a 2020 election issue

WASHINGTON — A top mental health and addiction treatment advocate here wants behavioral health on the ballot in 2020.

It’s a winning issue, according to Chuck Ingoglia, the president and CEO of the National Council for Behavioral Health, a D.C. nonprofit that represents thousands of community mental health providers. According to a presidential primary poll the organization released last month, large majorities of New Hampshire voters believe the federal government isn’t doing enough to address the nation’s addiction and mental health challenges.

After Congress passed a sweeping addiction treatment package in 2018, lawmakers have largely turned their focus to other health care issues, like high prescription drug prices and “surprise” medical bills. But Americans still need more, Ingoglia said in an interview this month. He spoke with STAT