Breakingthecycles.com – Changing the Conversations

by Lisa Frederiksen

Good news!

Health insurance companies must now treat mental health and substance abuse treatment coverage in the same manner they treat other health conditions, thanks to Health Parity Legislation signed into law earlier this month. It is known as the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008. This does not mean the have to, but if they do, they’ll have to treat mental and substance abuse the same why they treat other medical conditions (e.g., no limits on the number of visits or higher co-pays).

A quote by Rep. Jim Ramstad (R-Minn.), who co-sponsored the House bill with Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.), as reported by Bob Curley in his October 3, 2008 article, “Congress, Bush Approve Addiction and Health Parity Legislation,” sums up what this means for all of us who love someone who grapples with alcoholism: “For far too long, health insurance companies have used the stigma of mental illness and substance abuse as an excuse to deny coverage for those biological disorders. That ends today when this critical legislation outlaws the discrimination that is embedded in our laws and our policies.” Rep. Patrick Kennedy is quoted in the same article as saying, “This legislation is one more step in the long civil-rights struggle to ensure that all Americans have the opportunity to reach their potential.”

The battle for passage of this legislation took more than a decade and involved various group and individual efforts from all across the country. Change is possible!

This entry was posted on Monday, October 27th, 2008 at 4:16 pm and is filed under Alcohol-Related Public Policy, Alcoholism. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.