Sometimes the generalized principle of maintaining anominity about addiction recovery can be a bad thing. Everyone knows the squeaky wheel gets the grease. When it comes to legislative reform and funding of drug addiction treatment and prevention programs, remaining silent is like shooting yourself in the foot.
With an estimated 30 million people in this country suffering from addiction and mental health difficulties, you would think that would get the legislators’ attention. After all that’s quite a voting bloc. The problem is there are few public grass roots and public movements to support reform. Few people want to talk about it
There is one advocacy site: http://www.facesandvoiceofrecovery.org that has an automatic Email system to notify your local and national legislators of your support for treatment reform.
The Paul Wellstone mental health and addiction Equity Act of 2007 amends the mental health parity Act of 1996 to eliminate many discriminatory provisions that raise obstacles to accessing care for Americans with mental health and addictive disorders.
This is insurance discrimination:
Most health plans continue to impose limits on how much treatment is covered, or more costly financial requirements on mental health and addiction care than on care for other health conditions, discriminating against people seeking help for addiction.
Equal coverage for drug and alcohol treatment and recovery support services would require health insurers to provide coverage at the same level as for the other chronic, relapsing disorder,s such as diabetes and hypertension.
Discriminatory policies require individuals and their family members to pay higher deductibles and co-payments and receive less coverage for number of visits, days of coverage, and annual or lifetime dollar limits or treatment.
Often time legislation that supports parity for mental health and addiction treatment is proposed and dies in committee before coming to vote. It is a political hot potato. I urge you to go to http://www.facesandvoiceofrecovery.org and let you legislators know how you feel. It only takes a minute to make your voice heard.
Addiction Recovery Editor: Bill Urell
There is a gallery of sober living and life skill information available in the Free, 89 page Recovery Rolodex, Click Here
Related posts in Main
