Question:
Parity by 2000 is my motto!!!! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – This maybe something many of you might like to call your congressmen and solicate their position and support. A Friend Federal Legislation Will End Health Insurance Discrimination NAMI Hails Landmark Measure as Victory for Millions of Americans With Severe Mental Illnesses ARLINGTON, Va., Feb. 25 /PRNewswire/ — Federal legislation eliminating discriminatory health insurance coverage for individuals with the most severe mental illnesses will be introduced next week, according to the two lead authors of the measure. U.S. Senators Pete Domenici (R-NM) and Paul Wellstone (D-MN) told NAMI and a small group of mental health advocates late yesterday that their bill will ensure greater coverage of mental health benefits by providing full parity for adult and child mental illnesses. "Families across the United States are cheering today," said Laurie Flynn, executive director of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI). "No longer will a diagnosis of mental illness mean a lifetime of receiving second- class healthcare benefits." The bill would require equitable health insurance coverage for the most severe, biologically based mental illnesses by prohibiting unequal restrictions on annual and lifetime mental health benefits, inpatient hospital days and outpatient visits, and out-of-pocket expenses. Full insurance parity would be provided for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, obsessive- compulsive and severe panic disorders, autism, and other severe and disabling mental disorders, such as severe anorexia and severe attention- deficit/hyperactivity. These disorders, as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) and scientific advances, would receive full insurance parity. The proposal would also prohibit limits on inpatient day and outpatient visits for mental health treatment in general. "We applaud Senators Domenici and Wellstone for their courage and commitment to finishing the important work they began more than two years ago," said Flynn. "This legislation will be a giant step forward in eliminating the double standard held against millions struggling with mental illnesses." The Mental Health Parity Act of 1996, first introduced by Domenici and Wellstone, required only that annual and lifetime benefits for mental illnesses be equal to that offered for other physical disorders. The current law permits health plans to discriminate by limiting hospital days and outpatient visits, severely affecting the ability of individuals with the most serious and chronic mental illnesses to receive needed medical care. The new bill, which would apply only to group health plans that already provide mental health benefits, will exempt small businesses with 25 or fewer employees and eliminate the September 31, 2001 sunset provision in the Mental Health Parity Act of 1996. Senators Domenici and Wellstone yesterday briefed members of the Coalition for Fairness in Mental Illness Coverage on the new legislation. NAMI is a founding member of the Coalition. With more than 200,000 members, NAMI is the nation’s leading grassroots advocacy organization solely dedicated to improving the lives of persons with severe mental illnesses including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder (manic- depressive illness), major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and severe anxiety disorders. NAMI’s efforts focus on support to persons with serious brain disorders and to their families; advocacy for nondiscriminatory and equitable federal, state, and private-sector policies; research into the causes, symptoms and treatments for brain disorders; and education to eliminate the pervasive stigma surrounding severe mental illness. NAMI has more than 1,200 state and local affiliates in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and Canada. SOURCE National Alliance for the Mentally Ill CO: National Alliance for the Mentally Ill ST: District of Columbia IN: HEA INS SU: LEG
Response:
defined a very limited group of diagnoses to receive fair coverage. The selection of diagnoses is guided by NAMI’s philosophy of limiting its attention to certain diagnoses which doctors *currently* believe are biologically based, and for which the primary treatment mode is drugs. In fact NAMI prefers to call these particular mental illnesses "brain disorders." Other diagnoses that can be just as demanding of treatment – such as post-traumatic stress disorder, or dissociative identity disorder (DID, or multiple personality) – are not on the NAMI list, because they are currently considered to be non-biological in origin, and are primarily treated with psychotherapy. I emphasize "currently" because scientific conclusions about the causes of mental illness are constantly evolving. Not so long ago, it was almost universally believed that bad parenting caused schizophrenia. NAMI is heavily funded by the pharmaceutical industry, which would not get any benefit if insurance plans were required to fairly fund the treatment of mental troubles where the primary treatment mode doesn’t include drugs. If you would like me to see your reply to this message please post to my home group, alt.support.depression.manic – thanks. — For more information about this service, send e-mail to:
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