Posted by AKC on August 2, 2001, at 17:23:39
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NAMI E-News August 1, 2001 Vol. 02-5
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FEDERAL PARITY PASSED UNANIMOUSLY BY SENATE HELP COMMITTEE
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STATEMENT BY NAMI BOARD PRESIDENT JIM MCNULTYBy a unanimous 21-0 vote today, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
(HELP) Committee favorably reported S 543, the Mental Health Equitable Treatment
Act, out of committee and on to the full Senate. This action is a major step
forward in the effort to enact a full federal parity bill before the 1996 Mental
Health Parity Act expires on October 1, 2001. The next stop for S 543 is the
full Senate, once Congress returns from its summer recess the week of September
3.NAMI extends its thanks to the sponsors of S 543, Senators Pete Domenici (R-NM)
and Paul Wellstone (D-MN) for their efforts in moving this important legislation
forward. NAMI is also very grateful to several key members of the Senate HELP
Committee - particularly Chairman Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) and Senator Bill
Frist (R-TN) - who played critical roles in negotiating an agreement that
allowed for unanimous support from all senators on the Committee.ACTION REQUESTED
All NAMI members and advocates are encouraged to send a note of thanks to the
members of the Senate HELP Committee for voting in favor of S 543 today and
(more importantly) urge them to support parity legislation when it goes to the
full Senate in September. Please express your appreciation for their support of
legislation to end arbitrary and discriminatory caps on insurance benefits for
the treatment of severe mental illnesses.Members of the Senate HELP Committee (*Cosponsors of S 543)
*Edward M. Kennedy, Mass. - Chairman - 202-224-4543 Fax 202-224-2417
*Christopher J. Dodd, Conn. - 202-224-2823 Fax 202-224-1083
*Tom Harkin, Iowa - 202-224-3254 Fax 202-224-9369
*Barbara A. Mikulski, Md. - 202-224-4654 Fax 202-224-8858
*Jeff Bingaman, N.M. - 202-224-5521 Fax 202-224-2852
*Paul Wellstone, Minn. - 202-224-5641 Fax 202-224-8438
*Patty Murray, Wash. - 202-224-2621 Fax 202-224-0238
*Jack Reed, R.I. - 202-224-4642 Fax 202-224-4680
*John Edwards, NC - 202-224-3154 Fax 202-228-1374
*Hillary Rodham Clinton, NY - 202-224-4451 Fax 202-228-0282
*James Jeffords, Vermont - 202-224-5141..... Fax 202-228-0776Judd Gregg, NH - Ranking Member - 202-224-3324.....Fax 202-224-4952
Bill Frist, Tenn. - 202-224-3344 Fax 202-228-1264
Michael B. Enzi, Wyo. - 202-224-3424 Fax 202-228-0359
Tim Hutchinson, Ark. - 202-224-2353 Fax 202-228-3973
*John Warner, VA - 202-224-2023 Fax 202-224-6295
Christopher Bond, MO - 202-224-5721 Fax 202-224-8149
*Pat Roberts, Kan. - 202-224-4774 Fax 202-224-3514
*Susan Collins, Maine 202-224-2523 Fax 202-224-2693
Jeff Sessions, Ala. - 202-224-4124 Fax 202-224-3149
*Mike DeWine, Ohio - 202-224-2315.... Fax 202-224-6519In addition, NAMI members are urged to contact Senate Majority Leader Tom
Daschle (D-SD) and Minority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS) and ask them to bring
forward S 543 to the full Senate as early as possible in September. Remind them
that the October 1 sunset of the 1996 Mental Health Parity Act is looming and
that the Senate needs to take immediate action to end insurance discrimination
and make full parity a reality for consumers and families living with mental
illness.Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, SD - 202-224-2321 Fax 202-224-7895
Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott, MS - 202-224-6253 Fax 202-224-2262
Modifications to S 543During the HELP Committee "mark-up" hearing this morning, nearly all of the
major components of S 543 stayed intact, including protections that prohibit
health plans from imposing restrictions, conditions and enrollee cost sharing
requirements on mental illness treatment that do not apply to all other medical
treatment. This protection is central to the principle underlying parity, that
mental illnesses are brain disorders and that there is no medical justification
to cover treatment on different terms and conditions. Unlike the 1996 federal
law that covered parity for annual and lifetime dollar limits only, S 543 would
extend parity to limits on inpatient days and outpatient visits, as well as
deductibles and co-payments for office visits and prescriptions.In moving toward a bipartisan agreement on S 543, members of the HELP Committee
made several modifications to the bill designed to address the concerns of
employers and health plans. Foremost among these was increasing the number of
small businesses that would be exempt from the law. The original version of S
543 exempted employers with 2 to 25 workers (S 543 does not apply to the
individual insurance market). The bill reported by the HELP Committee today
increases that exemption to firms with 2 to 50 employees.In addition, members of the HELP Committee made several technical changes to the
bill designed to ensure that employers and health plans can manage benefits and
make certain that treatment services are medically necessary, clinically
appropriate and part of an authorized treatment plan. In addition, language was
added to S 543 to make the scope of parity consistent with the parity standard
now in the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) - the model upon
which S 543 is based. Specifically, the new language clarifies that the parity
requirement is restricted to providers that are in a health plan's network (if a
health plan has a restricted network of providers). Finally, since S 543 does
not require parity for substance abuse treatment, senators added language
clarifying that chemical dependency diagnoses in the APA's DSM IV listings (the
definition cited in the legislation) are not covered.Several members of the HELP Committee - including Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH) -
expressed interest in offering an amendment that would create an exemption to
the law in case costs associated with implementing parity resulted in employers
dropping coverage. A similar provision exists in the 1996 Mental Health Parity
Act. A preliminary estimate form the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects
that insurance premiums will rise only 1% as a result of S 543. Senator Gregg
declined to offer this cost increase exemption amendment, but reserved the right
to offer it when the bill reaches the full Senate.Cosponsors Continue to Sign on to S 543
Since NAMI's last report on the NAMI E-News (Vol. 02-2, July 24, 2001), 5
additional senators have become cosponsors of S 543 bringing the total to 51.
The new cosponsors include: Tom Carper (D-DE), Mark Dayton (D-MN), Mike DeWine
(R-OH), Diane Feinstein (D-CA), and Olympia Snowe (R-ME). It is still important
for NAMI members to contact their senators that have yet to sign on to the bill.
For a complete list of current cosponsors of S 543, go to
http://www.nami.org/update/20010406.html scroll down to the bottom of the
document and click on "Cosponsors."
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 1, 2001
NAMI APPLAUDS SENATE COMMITTEE FOR UNANIMOUS APPROVAL OF PARITY BILLStatement by Jim McNulty,
NAMI Board PresidentToday's action by the Senate Committee on Health, Employment, Labor & Pensions
(HELP), recommending S.543, the Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act of 2001
unanimously to the full Senate represents an important step forward to
strengthen existing law and end discrimination in insurance coverage.It is a victory for children and adults with mental illnesses. It is a victory
for employers whose overall productivity is adversely affected by untreated
mental illness. It is a victory for bipartisanship in the nation's capital.NAMI is grateful to Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA), chairman of the committee, as
well as the ranking minority member, Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH) and Senator Bill
Frist (R-TN), who have taken an interest in the legislation. We are especially
grateful for the leadership of Senators Pete Domenici (R-NM) and Paul Wellstone
(D-MN) in sponsoring the bill, as well as that of the 49 other Senators who are
co-sponsors.Let one fact be clear: a clear majority of the United States Senate today is
supporting the legislation. If the bill becomes law, it will cover the full
range of mental illnesses, including major depression, bipolar disorder
(manic-depression), schizophrenia, and anxiety disorders, and will strengthen
the 1996 law by prohibiting unequal limits on annual or lifetime mental health
benefits, inpatient hospital days, outpatient visits, and out-of-pocket
expenses.I congratulate NAMI members whose grassroots education and contacts with
lawmakers made today's committee action possible. During the weeks since NAMI's
national convention earlier this month, nearly ten Senators have joined in
co-sponsoring S.543. They include Democrats and Republicans. With one out of
every five Americans affected by mental illness in some way, this legislation
touches all of us. It will help individuals and families. It will help people
get treatment when they need it and preserve hope for recoveries.
poster:AKC
thread:8599
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20010731/msgs/8599.html