‘We ended cancer as we know it’: Biden raises eyebrows with stunning claim during speech on mental health treatment where he said there’s ‘no difference’ between a broken arm and a mental breakdown
- Biden said there should be ‘no distinction’ between a ‘broken arm and a mental breakdown’ to insurance providers
- Comes during an event on improving access to mental healthcare
- He also took credit during the event for ‘ending cancer as we know it’
Joe Biden made some interesting parallels and claims during an event on mental healthcare on Tuesday, saying that he contributed to ‘ending cancer as we know it.’
He seemed perplexed during his remarks by the idea that a broken arm and a mental breakdown are treated differently by American society – and said there is ‘no distinction’ between the two in his mind.
The President made clear during his remarks from the East Room on Tuesday that his goal is to end the stigma around mental illness by giving Americans the tools to reach out when they need help.
‘We’re working to improve insurance coverage for mental health in America,’ Biden said to a room full of mental health advocates.
President Joe Biden said during an event on improving access to mental healthcare on Tuesday that there should be ‘no distinction’ between a ‘broken arm and a mental breakdown’
‘And folks, you know, I don’t know what the difference between breaking your arm and having a mental breakdown is,’ he added. ‘It’s health – there’s no distinction.
‘We must fulfill the promise of true mental health parity for all Americans now,’ he added.
Additionally, Biden said that he has spearheaded the way for research and treatment to help end cancer.
The President has repeatedly said his goal is to help ‘end cancer as we know it.’ His late son Beau Biden died in 2015 from brain cancer.
‘One of the things I’m always asked is, you know, why Americans have sort of lost faith for a while in being able to do big things. “If you could do anything at all, Joe, what would you do?”
‘I said, “I’d cure cancer,” he detailed during his mental health remarks.
Biden was introduced by a mother who had trouble getting her insurance to cover her daughter’s mental healthcare costs. The President introduced a new rule on Tuesday that would require insurance providers to provide equal coverage to physical and mental healthcare
‘They looked at me like, “Why cancer?” he continued, and said he responds with: ‘Because no one thinks we can, that’s why. And we can. We ended cancer as we know it.’
Biden announced on Tuesday his administration is moving forward with new rules meant to pave the way for insurance companies to increase mental health treatment coverage.
The regulations would require insurers to study whether their customers have equal access to medical and mental health benefits.
Biden said physical health and mental health should be treated equally. A broken bone, he says, should be treated with the same seriousness and receive the same insurance coverage as someone who needs care for depression.