The Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2007

Subject: Your help needed to support Mental Health and Substance Abuse Parity Legislation Federal and State

Thank you to those of who have already sent letters supporting the State Mental Health Parity & Substance Abuse legislation, over 200 individuals have already done so.Today the bill was passed through the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee.
If you haven’t already please take a moment today and send a letter by email or mail to Governor Charlie Crist, Senate President Ken Pruitt, House Speaker Marco Rubio, Representative Aaron Bean of the House Healthcare Council, Senator Rhonda Storms of the Senate Children, Families, and Elders Committee and to your local legislative delegation. This letter should register your support for mental health and substance abuse parity legislation.
Ask these leaders to act on this critical issue during the upcoming legislative session.In addition, we are encouraging you to Please forward the below message about tomorrow’s vote on H.R. 1424 the Federal Parity Bill, “The Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2007” to your networks today.Thank you!
The full U.S. House is scheduled to vote on H.R. 1424, “The Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2007,” late tomorrow, Wednesday, March 5th.
Please call your U.S. Representatives in D.C. today and ask them to vote for passage of H.R. 1424 and to oppose any amendments that would weaken the legislation. Find your Members of Congress by visiting www.congress.org or by calling the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.H.R. 1424, introduced by Representatives Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) and Jim Ramstad (R-MN), seeks to eliminate discrimination in insurance coverage by requiring group health plans that currently offer coverage for drug and alcohol addiction and mental illness to provide those benefits in the same way as benefits provided to all other medical and surgical procedures covered by the plan.In addition, H.R.1424 contains the following four key provisions:
Protection of State laws: H.R. 1424 contains clear language stating that stronger State laws are protected and not preempted.

Out-of-network benefits: H.R. 1424 requires where there is out-of-network coverage for medical and surgical conditions, that there is also an out-of-network option for substance use disorders and mental illness.

Transparency:H.R. 1424 requires that plans make medical necessity criteria and reasons for any denials of reimbursement available to participants and beneficiaries upon request.

Requirement for covered conditions: H.R. 1424 would cover all the conditions and disorders in the DSM-IV.

Please call your U.S. House Members today and ask them to vote for H.R. 1424 tomorrow on the House floor.