TELL CONGRESS< WE WANT MENTAL HEALTH PARITY THIS YEAR

Before leaving Washington for the August recess, sponsors of parity legislation reached an agreement on a final bill to require equitable coverage in health plans for mental illness treatment. Now all that is remaining is to find a "budget offset" and resolve how the bill will be sent to the President.

When Congress returns to Washington the week of September 8, there will be only 3 weeks remaining before final adjournment - a critical window to complete long awaited mental illness insurance parity legislation. Congress needs to pass parity before adjourning this year!

Act Now!

1. Tell Congress to pass parity this year! Tell your Senators and Representative to support finishing the job and passing parity legislation. The message from NAMI is simple, "Don't adjourn for the year without passing mental illness insurance parity."

Send an e-mail message to your Senators and House member

2. Reach out to members of Congress while they are home. This week Congress began a month-long summer recess, with members returning to their states and districts to meet with constituents. In addition to calling and writing members of Congress, it is also critical for advocates to reach out and press them at every public appearance during this current "district work period" - at town meetings, campaign rallies, parades, radio call-in programs, county fairs, etc. At these events, remind all members of Congress that:

• Mental illnesses are real,
• Treatment works - if you can get it,
• There is no justification for a health plan to impose limitations or conditions on mental illness treatment that do not apply to all other medical conditions, and
• There is broad agreement on a compromise version of the mental illness insurance parity bill (S 558-HR 1424), now Congress just needs to finish the job and pass the bill so it can be signed in to law this year.
• Do not adjourn for the year without passing mental illness insurance parity

Take Action1Compose Message Message Recipients:
Your U.S. Senators Your U.S. House Representative Delivery Method:
Email Printed LetterSubject:
Editable text:(edit or add your own text - 8166 characters left) I am writing to urge to you to support final passage of the compromise version of the mental illness insurance parity bill (S 558-HR 1424). It is critical that Congress not squander this opportunity to ensure that health plans and employers cover treatment for mental illness on the same terms and conditions as all other illnesses. This important legislation has been pending before Congress for years. It is critical for Congress give final passage to this bipartisan agreement. Congress must seize this historic opportunity to end insurance discrimination faced by people living with serious mental illness and their families. I am writing to remind you that: • Untreated mental illness costs American businesses, government and families more than $80 billion annually in lost productivity and unemployment, broken lives and broken families, 30,000 suicides annually, emergency room visits and homelessness, • Mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and severe anxiety disorders are real illnesses, • Treatment for mental illness works, if accessible – treatment efficacy rates for most severe mental illnesses exceed those for heart disease and diabetes, • There is simply no scientific or medical justification for insurance coverage of mental illness treatment to be on different terms and conditions than other diseases, and • Discriminatory insurance coverage of mental illness bankrupts families and places a tremendous burden on taxpayers through higher expenditures for public disability and health benefits, chronic homelessness and inappropriate “criminalization” of mental illness. Mental illness insurance parity is long overdue. congress must act in 2008.
Take Action1Compose Message Message Recipients:
Your U.S. Senators Your U.S. House Representative Delivery Method:
Email Printed LetterSubject:
Editable text:(edit or add your own text - 8166 characters left) I am writing to urge to you to support final passage of the compromise version of the mental illness insurance parity bill (S 558-HR 1424). It is critical that Congress not squander this opportunity to ensure that health plans and employers cover treatment for mental illness on the same terms and conditions as all other illnesses. This important legislation has been pending before Congress for years. It is critical for Congress give final passage to this bipartisan agreement. Congress must seize this historic opportunity to end insurance discrimination faced by people living with serious mental illness and their families. I am writing to remind you that: • Untreated mental illness costs American businesses, government and families more than $80 billion annually in lost productivity and unemployment, broken lives and broken families, 30,000 suicides annually, emergency room visits and homelessness, • Mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and severe anxiety disorders are real illnesses, • Treatment for mental illness works, if accessible – treatment efficacy rates for most severe mental illnesses exceed those for heart disease and diabetes, • There is simply no scientific or medical justification for insurance coverage of mental illness treatment to be on different terms and conditions than other diseases, and • Discriminatory insurance coverage of mental illness bankrupts families and places a tremendous burden on taxpayers through higher expenditures for public disability and health benefits, chronic homelessness and inappropriate “criminalization” of mental illness. Mental illness insurance parity is long overdue. Congress must act in 2008. Do NOT allow Congress to adjourn without passing this important legislation.
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