News from around the state

Support the Healthy Transition Act of 2008! - June 30, 2008

Senators Christopher Dodd (D-CT) and Gordon Smith (R-OR) and Representative Pete Stark (D-CA) hosted a press conference on Wednesday, June 25th to announce the introduction of The Healthy Transition Act of 2008 (H.R.6375/S.3195). This federal legislation is designed to address the challenges faced by young adults with mental illnesses who are transitioning to adulthood by establishing a planning grant program that would allow states to implement effective transition-age mental health services and supports.


Senators Dodd and Smith also announced the release of a U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report titled Young Adults with Serious Mental Illness: Some States and Federal Agencies are Taking Steps to Address Their Transition Challenges. The report focuses on the tremendous struggles that transition-age young adults with mental illnesses face and several innovative programs that exist in four states to address their unique needs.

Andrew Sperling, NAMI's Director of Legislative Affairs, moderated the press conference. Amy Lydon O'Connor, a policy assistant with NAMI Connecticut and a transition-age consumer, shared her personal story at the press conference about the challenges she faced in transitioning from youth to adulthood while also managing a mental illness. She was joined by another transition-age consumer and a provider of transition-age services in Philadelphia.


NAMI applauds Senators Dodd and Smith and Representative Stark for their leadership in introducing federal legislation that promises to focus national attention on the need for states to develop effective transition-age services and supports for young adults living with mental illnesses.

Act Now!

Email Congress today and urge your Senators and Representatives to co-sponsor The Healthy Transition Act of 2008 (H.R.6375/S.3195), which will provide state grants for much needed support and services uniquely designed for youth and young adults.


Click here to send an email to Congress!

House Passes Mental Health Parity Bill - March 6, 2008

By a vote of 268-148, the US House of Representatives on March 5th passed its version of the mental health insurance parity bill (HR 1424), setting up what is likely to be a difficult negotiation with the Senate, which passed its version (S 558) unanimously this past fall. Both bills require group health plans to cover mental illness and substance abuse disorders on the same terms and conditions as all other illnesses - equity with respect to durational treatment limits (inpatient days and outpatient visits) and financial limitations (cost sharing, deductibles, out-of-pocket limits, etc.). However, there are important differences between the House and Senate bills that must be resolved.

ACT NOW!

Equitable coverage of mental illness treatment has been a top legislative priority for NAMI for nearly 20 years. 2008 represents a historic opportunity to finally pass insurance parity legislation. Send a letter to your member of Congress and tell them that Congress cannot allow this historic opportunity to enact insurance parity to slip away. Now is the time to come to an agreement that can get through the House, the Senate and be signed by President Bush. Congress must act in 2008!

Historic Debate in the House

The debate in the House was remarkable in the level of consensus over long held principles that NAMI has sought to achieve. While there were differences among members of Congress over the specifics in the House bill, there was unanimous agreement on the need for federal intervention to ensure equitable coverage of mental illness treatment. Democrats and Republicans of all political stripes spoke on the House floor about their personal experience with mental illness, the burden imposed by untreated mental illness and the need for covering and treating these costly disorders just like any other illness.

What Issues Must Be Resolved To Reach Consensus on Parity?

Learn more about the differences between S 558 and HR 1424 that must be resolved in order to achieve a bill that can pass this year.

Support SAMHSA Reauthorization! - January 18, 2008

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee is scheduled to consider legislation to reauthorize the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) on January 30th. The draft bill includes a package of important initiatives that NAMI has been working on for years, including:

- Expansion of suicide prevention programs,
- Prevention of custody relinquishment,
- Services for homeless individuals with mental illness and
- Efforts to further reduce the use of restraint and seclusion of young people.

Act Now!
One of your state's U.S. Senators serves on the HELP Committee and it is now critical to contact their office to press them to support this draft SAMHSA reauthorization bill. Call or email your Senator today, and urge them to vote in support of the reauthorization on January 30.

Call Instructions:
Find your Senator from the list below, and call the number:

State Senator Telephone

AK Lisa Murkowski 202-224-6665

CO Wayne Allard 202-224-5941

CT Christopher Dodd 202-224-2823

GA Johnny Isakson 202-224-3646

IA Tom Harkin 202-224-3254

IL Barack Obama 202-224-2854

KS Pat Roberts 202-224-4774

MA Edward Kennedy 202-224-4543

MD Barbara A. Mikulski 202-224-4654

NC Richard Burr 202-224-3154

NH Judd Gregg 202-224-3324

NM Jeff Bingaman 202-224-5521

NY Hillary Rodham Clinton 202-224-4451

OK Tom Coburn, MD 202-224-5754

OH Sherrod Brown 202-224-2315

RI Jack Reed 202-224-4642

TN Lamar Alexander 202-224-4944

UT Orrin G. Hatch 202-224-5251

VT Bernard Sanders 202-224-5141

WA Patty Murray 202-224-2621

WY Micheal B. Enzi 202-224-3424

Talking Points
Remind your Senator that the SAMHSA Reauthorization bill includes the following critical provisions for children and adults living with mental illness and their families:

- Renewal of expansion of the Garrett Lee Smith Act that support state and local efforts to replicate successful strategies for youth suicide prevention and college-based mental health programs,
- The Keeping Families Together Act (S 382) that authorizes planning grants for states to implement strategies designed to address the tragic and unnecessary policy of families relinquishing custody of a child in order to access mental health services,
- The Services for Ending Long-Term Homelessness Act (SELHA, S 593) that authorizes services in permanent supportive housing for individuals with mental illness and co-occurring disorders that have experienced chronic homelessness,
- Efforts by Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) and others to expand federal efforts to curb the inappropriate use of restraint and seclusion, particularly for adolescents placed in juvenile facilities and correctional schools, and
- Expanded requirements for states to collect data regarding expenditure of federal mental health block grant funds and their relationship to specific outcomes.

Medicare Drug Benefit Update: 2008 Plan Year Begins on January 1st - December 29, 2007

January 1st marks the start of the new plan year for the Medicare Part D drug benefit for 2008. As the 2008 plan year approaches, NAMI is watching closely to ensure that beneficiaries with serious mental illness, especially low-income dual eligibles, are able to maintain continued access to drug coverage that meets their complex treatment needs. Of particular concern are the 2.1 million dual eligibles and low-income subsidy (LIS) Medicare beneficiaries that are being required to switch to different prescription drug plans (PDPs) on January 1.

View tips and suggestions to avoid problems at the pharmacy counter in refilling prescriptions.

Find more information on the important issue of Medicare drug plan reassignment of dual eligibles and LIS beneficiaries for 2008.

View information on 2008 drug plan options.

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued "Quick Tips for People with with Medicare: Using your New Medicare Drug Benefit" available in English and Spanish.

MapRX has created a special Q&A for people that are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid.

Learn About the Candidates' Views on Mental Healthcare - December 28, 2007

NAMI sent a questionnaire on leading mental health issues to all the presidential candidates. Candidates are answering and we encourage you to view their positions on our new Explore the Candidates page.

NAMI will be posting additional responses and materials as they are received after this date, so please check our Explore the Candidates page regularly for updates. NAMI does not endorse specific candidates. Any materials posted are intended for educational purposes only.