Support Mental Health Parity

Mental Health Parity

Greetings,

Support Mental Health Parity for a healthier Iowa

Immediate Action Needed!

The Iowa House of Representatives is getting ready to debate whether insurance plans should have to pay for the treatment of mental illness and substance abuse in the same way they do for other illnesses.  In other words, House File 139 would guarantee mental illness is treated equally.

Legislators are getting flooded with calls from opponents to the bill. They need to hear from those who would benefit from coverage and advocates who support the bill.  We need your help - or the bill will not be debated this year.

Please contact your State Representative by Wednesday, February 11.

Use this alert to e-mail your representative directly. It is also important to call your representatives and let them know you support this legislation. Call 515-281-3221 to contact your representative.

Send a letter to the following decision maker(s):
Your Representative (if you live in Iowa)

Below is the sample letter:

Subject: Support Mental Health Parity - Support HF 139

Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],

As a concerned citizen of the state of Iowa, I urge you to support House File 139 regarding Mental Health Parity. By allowing mental health and addictive disorders to be covered by insurance, thousands of Iowans will be able to get the help they desperately need to improve their lives.

Currently, persons with mental health and addictive disorders, both recognized as diseases within the medical community, are being discriminated against by insurance providers. Because of this, often times people with these illnesses are not treated. Unfortunately untreated mental health and drug and alcohol addictions often lead to destructive behaviors such domestic and child abuse and contribute to rising crime rates.

The mental health parity that is proposed in HF 139 would allow people that do not qualify for Medicaid or other waiver services to use their private insurance to seek much needed treatment. By providing an avenue for all Iowans to get the services they need, Lutheran Services in Iowa hopes to create safer and healthier living environments for children, families and individuals.

Please support this important legislation that will have a dramatic impact on those suffering from addiction, depression, anxiety and other mental health illnesses. As the stuggling economy only adds to those suffering from these diseases, it is more important now than ever that all Iowans have greater access to treatment.

Thank you for your time and I hope you will truly take into consideration the positive impact mental health parity will have on Iowa's children and families.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]
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What's At Stake:

Action Alert - MENTAL HEALTH PARITY
 
ACTION ALERT

House File 139 - Equality in Health Care Coverage & Veterans Wellness Act
 
If you want all illnesses, whether physical or mental, to be covered by insurance in the same way, then please support HF 139.

Immediate Action Needed!

The Iowa House of Representatives is getting ready to debate whether insurance plans should have to pay for the treatment of mental illness and substance abuse in the same way they do for other illnesses.  In other words, House File 139 would guarantee mental illness is treated equally.

Legislators are getting flooded with calls from opponents to the bill. They need to hear from those who would benefit from coverage and advocates who support the bill.  We need your help - or the bill will not be debated this year.

Please contact your State Representative by Wednesday, February 11.
 
1. Call or Email your State Representative and tell them you support House File 139.  Talking points from the Parity Coalition are attached if you need help - but your story and why this is important to you is what legislators want to hear!

E-mail your representative today by using this action alert, and call them at 515-281-3221 to makes sure they hear why you think they should support this legislation.

If you have time, let us know what your State Representative says to you. We will want to follow-up with your legislator at the Capitol.  Contact us at:  lyle.krewson@lsiowa.org.

Forward this email to people that you know and ask them to email or call their legislators in support of HF 139!

Talking Points: House File 139 -  Equality in Health Care Coverage & Veterans Wellness Act
 
If you want all illnesses, whether physical or mental, to be covered by insurance in the same way, then please support HF 139.

  • Iowa’s current biologically based mental health parity law includes only: Schizophrenia; bipolar disorders; major depressive disorders; schizo-affective disorders; obsessive-compulsive disorders; pervasive developmental disorders; and autistic disorders.
  • 90% of Iowa inmates report having a substance abuse problem and 40.1% have a mental health diagnosis.
  • Experience in other states does NOT demonstrate expansion of benefits for mental health services results in higher costs or significantly increased utilization.
  • The Black Hawk-Grundy Mental Health Center in Waterloo expects a 25% increase in the number of new patients this year compared to last year. While some of the new cases are people with psychiatric conditions caused by a string of recent disasters in the area, others are people suffering from anxiety and depression brought on by the economic downturn.
  • A recent poll conducted by the American Psychological Association found that almost half of all adults said they are increasingly stressed about their ability to provide for their family's basic needs. In fact, about 8 out of 10 adults said that the economy is a significant cause of stress, up from 66 percent in April.
  • Addiction treatment has been shown to cut drug use in half, reduce crime by 80%, and reduce arrests by up to 64%.
  • According to SAMHSA (Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration), in 2007, 23.2 million people, or 9.6% of the population, had a substance abuse problem but only 10% of those who needed treatment, received it at a specialty facility. Therefore, there were 20.8 million people, or 8.4% of the population, who needed but did not receive treatment for drug or alcohol abuse.
  • Over 40% of those who tried to get help for their addiction were denied treatment because of cost or insurance barriers.
  • Every year, alcohol and drug problems cost America countless lives and more than $300 billion dollars. Business and labor feel the impact in lost worker productivity, rising healthcare and insurance costs, and alcohol or drug related accidents on the job. Our communities across the country see the epidemic manifested in higher school drop out rates, increased alcohol- or drug-related vehicle fatalities, more instances of domestic or child abuse, and rising crime rates.
  • Vermont passed broad MH/SA Parity facts: Only 0.3% of Vermont employers reported that they dropped health coverage for employees because of the parity law. Only 0.1% of the employers reported that parity played a role in the decision of self-insure. More people received outpatient MH services following implementation of parity. The percentage of users per 1,000 members increased 6-8%. Consumers paid a smaller share of the total amount spent on MH/SA services following parity implementation. For example, the share paid out-of-pocket by members fell from 27%to 16%. The amount spent by BC/BS of Vermont for MH/SA services increased 19 cents per member, per month- or a total of $2.28/year.
  • Independent national studies & other state experiences show that premium increases when moving from biologically based parity (which Iowa has) to full parity is very minimal - from 0 to .5%. Iowa's fiscal bureau estimates a .3% increase. Going from nothing to full parity results in a 2-3% increase, but we already have implemented the most costly part of the mandate (biologically based). We have supplied key legislators with all of these cited studies, and would be happy to give them to others (just let us know if someone requests it, and we'll get it to them).
  • Iowa taxpayers pay for untreated mental illness and substance abuse one way or another - through public supported mental health and substance abuse programs, and in our jails and prisons (the Department of Corrections has said 90% of their population have a mental illness or substance abuse problem). Tax-supported programs should no longer be picking up the cost for the private sector failing to treat mental illness and substance abuse equally - and the taxpayer gets a better deal paying the pennies up front through a 0-.5% premium increase than in the prisons, jails, and public mental health/substance abuse treatment programs.
  • Veterans and their families deserve quick access to treatment. Under the bill, veterans would have access to treatment without waiting 6-9 months to get VA services. As Rep. Ray Zirkelbach (who served three years in Iraq) says about the minor increase in premiums, "It is the price of freedom."
  • The insurance industry is citing an industry-supported study saying premiums increase 5-10%. It does not take into account actual experiences of seven states, the federal government, & independent studies. Their claims cannot be independently validated.
  • The brain is part of the body - it is time we start to treat it that way.
     
    Parity supporters include (as of 2/5/2009): American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Employee & Family Resources, Iowa Academy of Family Physicians, Iowa Association of Area Agencies on Aging, Iowa Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, Iowa Behavioral Health Association, Iowa Caregivers Association, Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Iowa Community Action Association, Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs, Iowa Developmental Disabilities Council, Iowa Health Systems, Iowa Hospital Association,Iowa Federation of Labor, Iowa Medical Society, Iowa/Nebraska Primary Care Association, Iowa Nurses Association, Iowa Psychiatric Society, Iowa Psychological Association, Iowa School Nurses Organization, Iowa State Association of Counties, Iowa State United Auto Workers, National Alliance on Mental Illness, National Association of Social Workers, Orchard Place, Planned Parenthood of Greater Iowa, Polk County, & Protection & Advocacy Services (P&A)

 


Campaign Expiration Date:
March 11, 2009