mental health parity

[booklover]

First of all forgive me for crossposting this but I want to make sure everyone who suffers from or loves someone that suffers from mental illness be aware of this action. As you may or may not know, many if not most medical insurance companies discriminate against people who suffer mental illness. This discrimination can take several forms, including but not limited too increased co-pay on psychiatric drugs, max. hospital days per year when there is no max on physical health days, max outpatient therapy days with no physical health equivalents. and refusal to authorize some proven, nonexperimental treatments such as ECT or VNS. Some examples of these actions I have personally suffered are 1. If my neurologist perscribes my Keppra BC/BS charges me a co-pay of $20, if the exact same dose is order by my psychiatrist the co-pay is $60. 2. I am allowed 1 month hospitalization a year, this year I ended up in a state hosp for 2 months because of this discrimination. I also have had to pay out of pocket for 6 months of therapy. With only SSDI as income this has put a tremendous strain on me and I have not been able to stay on my meds or keep therapy as often as I should.

In the mid 90's Senator Paul Wellstone submitted to congress the Senator Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act, which would "prohibit employer sponsored group health plans from imposing any treatment limitations or financial requirements on their mental health coverage unless comparable treatment limitations or financial requirements are imposed on their medical and surgical health coverage". This bill has been co-sponsored by the majority of both parties in both houses but it has yet to come to the floor.

I wrote my Senators and congressman, asking them what their stand on the issue was and what they were willing to do to push the issue. Senator Durbin replied in a letter that he introduced a Senate resolution in November, stating "Congress should act to end discrimination against citizens of the United States who live with a mental illness by making legislation relating to mental health parity a priority for the 110th congress." He is hoping for unanimous passage in both houses and feels that once this resolution is past it will force congress to pass the Wellstone act in 2007 or 2008.

It is extremely important that we keep this issue in the forefront of our represenatives minds so this discrimination will end. Please contact your Senators and congress members to demand their action. Also NIMI (the National Institute of Mental Illness) is collecting examples of discrimination to submit to congress so please visit their webpage and share your experience. Thanks for your actions and your time. Annmarie

[amymc]

Dear Ann Marie,
Through NAMI's web site, I let my legislators know about the Mental Health Parity bill. I don't remember if it passed or not. I think it did. Don't quote me on it though. lol I'm not sure. I'd have to double check. But I've done my part to let the legisilators know. I didn't realize there was that much discrimination going on with mental health. Some of it I knew about, but it just didn't click that it was discrimination. Some of it I didn't know about at all. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
Amy

[booklover]

Mental Health Parity has the votes to win in both houses but has not been brought to the floor yet It was first brought to congress in the 1990's so it is well overdo