Federal Mental Health Parity Information and "Patients' Bill of Rights"
Patients' Bill of Rights: Managed Care and ERISA reform
I haven't had time to properly interlink these pages; to
navigate, use back browser or return (go to if not initially
there) the main index page of this section of mmy site.
Domenici-Wellstone bill S. 796. Senator Domenici introduced
4/14/99, according to Congressional pages, sat in committee.
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. "Mental Health
and Equitable Treatment Act of 1999". Still sitting in house
does't appear to be moving. No hearings have been held - she
didn't ask if any were scheduled. (Someone contacted someone she
knows in Sen. Kennedy's office while I sat in her office.)
Hearings may be held in April or May.
Sen. Paul Wellstone 202-224-5641, no e-mail provided (uses
"web form".
Sen. Pete Domenici 202-224-6621 Senator_Domenici@domenici.senate.gov
Sen. Wellstone's aide; Ellen Gerrity.
Senator Domenici's aide; Edward Hild.
Sen. Kennedy's office; 202-224-4543. Stacie Sachs, 224-7675
supposed to be in charge of this in his health department.
House of Representatives; H.R. 1515
sponsors: Marge Roukema (R-NJ) 202-225-4465, Rep.Roukema@mail.house.gov
no aide currently assigned to it because that person left;
Christopher Brinson, legislative director, the person currently
in charge of it.
STILL NEED TO CONTACT HIM BECAUSE HIS E_MAIL NOT WORKING.
Bob Wise (D-W.Va) and Peter DeFazio (D-Ore) Name is
"Mental Health and Substance Abuse Parity Act of 1999"
covers full parity for all mental health and substance abuse
disorders provided in DSM-IV, while Domenici's and Wellstone's
version covers only a select group of biologically based
disorders. It also lowers exemption for small businesses to
25 people, HR bill leaves that alone. The Senate version
prohibits limits on hospital visits and outpatient visits for
ALL mental illnesses, prvides full parity for ceratin severe
biologically based illnesses, eliminates 1% opt-out provision
(the current fedearl law lets businesses choose to opt out by
claiming - no verification - that their costs would rise more
than 1%).
White House: Since Pres. Clinton identified mental health as
one of his key issues, someone has got to be working on it.
Mrs. Gore's office seems to be in charge of
mental health issues. When I asked for who is in charge of mental
health issues, I got her office. When, previously, I went
straight to her office, I got referred only to people in her
office. 202-456-1414 main # for White House.
Referred to Trooper Sanders (that ishis name) and Amy Molnotti,
who is Mrs. Gore's personal aide.
Copies of bills and all info on their status as well as current
committee schedules, hearing schedules, committee and Congressmen
web sites with contact information, and who are one's own
representatives, can be found by clicking on the "House" and
"Senate" links at
Yahoo's branches of the Federal Government web site directory .
The White House can be found there, too; not much info on how
to reach anyone but the President, Vice-President, and their
wives, but nearly everything the White House has issued or
written in recent history is accessible from that site, including
directives and press releases to do with parity for Federal
workers, and I think the text of the White House Conference
of Mental Health from summer 1999, and the President's statement
of his mental health priorities.
Good source of info: an aide in Sen. Kennedy's office. Sen.
Kennedy has sponsored a number of these reform bills.
Patients' Bill of Rights
Two versions of a Patients' Bill of Rights would fix a problem
ERISA poses for managed behavioral care reform by allowing
patients to sue their HMO's - possibly. Neither of these bills
has anything to do with eliminating ERISA's preemptions on
state insurance and health care reform.
There are two versions of this bill, one strong, one weak.
Alot on the problems with managed behavioral health care
and the Patients' Bill of Rights can be found at the resources
at My national resources and links page
H. Bill HR 2723 (Norwood) Patients' Bill of Rights S. Bill S.
1344 (Lott), house bill may be attached to related H.R. 2990.
7/15 Conference Committee would fix some of the ERISA problem.
They are currently in conference committee; one house passed
a much weaker bill than the other (without the right to sue).
Alot of information on these bills is at the sources listed
at my national and corporate resources page at
AB1100, sponsored by Helen Thomson, D-Davis, Don Perato, D-Alamida,
Thomson-Perata bill. Has gone to teh Sentat floor (4/17/98
article). I hear alot about this bill (also sp. Perrata).
It is a California state bill that passed the legislature and
got vetoed by the governor.
CRS Subjects:
Employee health benefits
Mental illness
Mentally ill
Email me at dorasmith24@hotmail.com
This page hosted by 
Get your own Free Home Page
5672
