The GBI reports that 144 Georgia children and teenagers have committed suicide over the last three years.

And nationally, drug overdoses are now killing more people than gun homicides and car crashes combined, and kill hundreds of Georgians each year.

Yet despite those problems, coverage of behavioral health care is a lot more restrictive than coverage of other medical care, says Roland J. Behm, of the Georgia Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

Insurance coverage that’s on par with medical benefits, Behm writes, “can provide access to treatment and services, which in turn can reduce the difficulties faced by people with mental health and substance use disorders, help their loved ones, increase their independence, and create stronger communities.”

Here’s a link to Behm’s Commentary, which calls for future legislation to help Georgians get better behavioral health coverage.