Growing up in rural Iowa, mental health struggles were not something we spoke about openly or took seriously in any way. Most of my time outside school was spent working or playing sports, and there was never any time to address mental health — there was always something “more important” that needed to be taken care of.

It was especially unheard of at the time to think that a mental illness could be just as disabling as a physical injury.

I have struggled with suicidal thoughts since I was 9 years old and went without any sort of professional care or treatment for over two decades. From my experience, I know that professional intervention can have life-changing results, and one of my priorities as a legislator has always been to ensure those suffering from mental illnesses are able to access care that is as high quality as it is affordable.

To further this goal, I was a prime sponsor of SB154 in 2021, which established a 988 Suicide Prevention Lifeline in Colorado to coincide with the federal launch in July 2022. For these efforts, I had the honor of being named a legislative champion by Mental Health America.

But there is always more to be done in correcting the healthcare gap between mental and physical illnesses. HB23-1130 is a bill currently gaining traction in our state legislature that is looking to reduce the amount of time between a patient with a serious mental illness (SMIs) being prescribed personalized treatment and when they are able to afford it and actually begin receiving this form of care. This delay is primarily caused by “step therapy,” which is a treatment approach used by health plans to keep medication costs low.

When a patient is prescribed a drug by their doctor, their health insurance provider or Medicaid will have them try lower-cost medications first to determine if they will be effective at treating the patient’s condition. If those treatments don’t work, the patient can “step up” to the potentially more expensive treatment originally recommended by their doctor. HB1130 recognizes the significant harm that a patient may experience as a result of this delay by seeking to limit its use when treating SMIs.

When HB1130 passed the House with an overwhelming majority vote and show of support from lawmakers with 39 representatives signing on as cosponsors, I knew I wanted to do everything in my power to ensure a similar result in the Senate. A first “step” was signing on as a prime cosponsor.

The bill does not eliminate step therapy altogether, as it recognizes that insurers need to keep initial costs low to serve a greater number of patients. HB1130 remedies existing step therapy laws to allow patients with SMIs to try only one drug before they will receive insurance coverage for the prescribed drug.

Additionally, HB1130 does not lessen step therapy requirements for all Coloradoans with a mental illness, and rather focuses on those with severe mental illnesses that are impacted the most by delays to the most effective treatments.

As a lifelong advocate for behavioral health being accessible to all who need it, I am proud to be a prime co-sponsor for HB1130. This legislation is a leap forward in recognizing that mental illnesses can be as debilitating as physical illness, and require the same high-quality, affordable, and individualized care as any other health condition.

Chris Kolker is the Colorado State Senator for District 16 in Centennial.