MENTAL HEALTH PARITY MOVES FORWARD

U.S. Senate Unanimously Approves Parity!!

On September 18, The U.S. Senate unanimously approved the Mental Health Parity Act of 2007 (S. 558). This critical legislation will ensure that Americans with employer-sponsored health insurance and their families receive mental healthcare coverage at the same level as coverage for general health problems.

Parity faces longer path in the U.S. House

Despite the Senate victory, our work is not over. The House version of Mental Health Parity, H.R. 1424, is slowly advancing in the House of Representatives. The House Education and Labor Committee already approved H.R 1424, and on September 19, the House Ways & Means Health Subcommittee approved the bill by a vote of 10-3. The Full Ways and Means Committee must now act on the bill. And as if that wasn't enough the House Commerce Committee must also approve H.R. 1424.

Once chambers approve the bill, any difference must be worked out and approved. As the effort goes on we will keep you posted on what you can to help insure that the strongest possible mental health parity bill is sent to the president.

Rep. Patrick Kennedy to Kick-off CHADD's Morning on the Hill

As part of our 20th Anniversary Conference agenda we are sponsoring our first ever CHADD "Morning on the Hill" on Thursday, November 8, for all our conference attendees. Our "Morning on the Hill" is an integral part of the annual conference – it is included in your registration fee and there are no competing conference sessions. All conference attendees will be on the Hill.

And speaking of Mental Health Parity, we have a special guest to kick off the "Morning on the Hill" – Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.). Rep. Kennedy knows first hand the struggles of those who battle mental illness and substance abuse disorders and, because of this experience, he has become one of the mightiest voices in Congress on the need to improve our nation's mental heath and substance abuse treatment system. He is a passionate advocate for the fair treatment of persons with all disabilities and has sponsored several bills in Congress to improve the lives of those with disabilities. He is a sponsor of H.R. 1424, the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2007, legislation that would ensure those with mental illness and substance abuse disorders are treated fairly by insurance companies.

Rep. Kennedy will join us first thing Thursday morning to share his view of the situation on Capitol Hill and give us a rousing send off as we head out to meet with our U.S. Senators and Representatives. Let's make sure they know that we are "paying attention" and bring our message and personal experiences about living with AD/HD to the Capitol! It's up to us to make the difference...and with your help, we will!

For more on CHADD's Conference and to register go here: CHADD 2007 Conference

Have questions about the Morning on the Hill? Go here: CHADD's Morning on the Hill

Want to learn more about Rep. Kennedy? Go here: http://patrickkennedy.house.gov

Thanks and we hope to see you "On the Hill" November 8.

Paul J. Seifert

CHADD Director of Public Policy