The state government wants to increase mental health funds for adoptive families

The state government wants to increase mental health funds for adoptive families. The Arizona State Senate approved a proposal on Tuesday to allocate funds to adoptive families and adoptees...

The state government wants to increase mental health funds for adoptive families. The Arizona State Senate approved a proposal on Tuesday to allocate funds to provide psychological counseling for adoptive families and adoptees. The bill's sponsor, Republican Sen. Rick Murphy of Peoria, said many adoptive parents and children are psychologically disabled and need a long and arduous process to accept each other as family members. This bill provides these families with psychological counseling subsidies. Most adoptive families receive an average of US$750 per month in special subsidies for psychological counseling until the adoptee reaches the age of 18. In addition, adoptees are also eligible to apply for the state's Medicaid program (AHCCCS) and receive psychological counseling through the state health care system. While many adoptive families can afford private commercial insurance for their adopted children, the subsidies provided by Murphy's bill will ensure that all adopted children have sufficient funds to pay for psychological counseling. Arizona paid out $150 million in subsidies to adoptive families last fiscal year, half of which came from federal grants. It's unclear how much Murphy's bill would cost, and the bill did not release that amount.