27 Aug 2025 Able Americans Champions Concrete Reforms for Those Living with Disabilities or Mental Illness

Washington, D.C. – Able Americans, a project of the National Center for Public Policy Research, has released two important new reports aimed at improving the lives of Americans living with disabilities or mental illness.

In “ABLE Accounts 3.0: Empowering People with Disabilities to Save, Invest, and Thrive,” Sara Hart Weir and Rachel Barkley explain how ABLE accounts are transforming lives—and what policy leaders can do to ensure more people benefit.

Ten years ago, Congress passed the bipartisan Stephen Beck Jr. Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act — a groundbreaking law that gave people with disabilities the ability to save and invest without losing access to essential benefits like Medicaid or SSI. Today, ABLE accounts have helped over 200,000 individuals save $2.46 billion for critical expenses like housing, education, caregiving and transportation — while safeguarding their eligibility for life-sustaining programs.

Even so, millions more are eligible and unaware of the opportunity. “Able Accounts 3.0” outlines how Congress and the states can make the most of ABLE accounts, and how employers can better implement them in benefits packages.

In “Mental Health Reforms: Expanding Access from Prevention to Crisis,“ Dr. Elinore McCance-Katz and Leslie Ford expose the failures of our current mental health system and outline solutions to provide dignified, effective care — from community-based resources to inpatient treatment when necessary.

One in five Americans — nearly 59 million people — live with a mental illness. Yet our mental health system remains broken, leaving those with the most severe needs without effective care. Too often, these vulnerable Americans fall into a downward spiral that ends in incarceration, homelessness or even death.

The numbers are staggering: 1.9 million annual psychiatric ER visits — costing nearly $1 billion a year; 270,000 incarcerated adults with serious mental health or substance use disorders — costing $13 billion annually; 67% of unsheltered homeless live with serious mental illness and/or substance use disorders — costing $6 billion annually. That’s a $20 billion price tag — and untold human suffering.

Congress and the Administration should structure spending to fund crisis-based inpatient beds, reform commitment standards, create a real continuum for community-based, outpatient care and track outcomes for Americans with serious mental health and substance use disorders. Together, we can move beyond a system of neglect and finally create a true continuum of care for Americans who need it most.

Both reports are available on the Able Americans website.

About

Able Americans is a nonprofit, nonpartisan project of the National Center for Public Policy Research dedicated to advancing innovative, free-market solutions that empower Americans with intellectual, developmental, and physical disabilities. It advocates for policies that remove barriers, expand individual freedom and choice, and deliver better outcomes for people with disabilities and their caregivers. Its mission is rooted in the belief that opportunity and human dignity are part of the American promise for all people, regardless of ability.

The National Center for Public Policy Research, founded in 1982, is a non-partisan, free-market, independent conservative think-tank. Ninety-four percent of its support comes from individuals, less than four percent from foundations and less than two percent from corporations. It receives over 350,000 individual contributions a year from over 60,000 active recent contributors. Contributions are tax-deductible and may be earmarked for Able Americans.

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