A couple of days ago, I shared some of my very general thoughts about the Paul Wellstone-Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, and then pointed you in the direction of the legislation’s actual text.
The more I read about the Paul Wellstone-Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (gah, what a mouthful, yes?), the more I discover about the questions, concerns, and fears others have.
Why should I care about this? I don’t even have health insurance.
My company doesn’t have more than 50 people, so what do I have to be excited about?
If …read more

Thanks to Kristina at Autism Vox and one of her incredibly helpful readers, I can now point you in the direction of the text of the Paul Wellstone-Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, which is included as Sec. 512 of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act (H.R. 1424).
And, because it’s located at THOMAS (The Library of Congress’s site), the links are usually temporary so I’m giving you directions instead:

Visit THOMAS.
Click on Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 : H.R. 1424 at the top of the page. (I don’t know how long this will remain at the …read more

So, by now you’ve undoubtedly heard Congress passed Mental Health Parity. Actually, Congress passed the Paul Wellstone-Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, and they did so right along with the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act (HR 1424) and a bunch of other stuff, I hear.
There’s some slight controversy surrounding the bill, how it was passed, and the fact that it was passed at all. Around the ‘net I’ve read complaints that the bill isn’t fair, it shouldn’t have been thrown in with the bailout bill, and – my favorite – “Now our premiums are going to …read more

If you’ve been reading Mental Health Notes for even a slightly significant amount of time, you know I’m a big huge supporter of Mental Health Parity.
Fortunately, both the House and the Senate have passed their versions of Mental Health Parity legislation. Now that the time for Congress to adjourn is drawing nearer, it’s time to really start pushing them (in a friendly, “Hey! I’m your constituent and here’s what I’d like to say!” sort of way, of course) to vote on a final version and get ol’ Bush to sign off on it.
Even though Mental Health Parity won’t benefit everyone …read more

Warning: Rant follows below, after the jump.
Back in August, I told you about the Consumers Union Cover America Tour – the campaign geared toward putting faces on the Americans who don’t have health insurance, who can’t afford their prescription medications, or who otherwise have problems finding affordable and quality health care.
During that post, I pointed out two specific stories: Tom’s story, the man who began experiencing depression from the pain and hopelessness of his health problems and high cost of health care, and Kathy’s story, the woman who compared not being able to pay for her diabetes medicine as “committing …read more

The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance has issued an URGENT ACTION ALERT regarding the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act.
The Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act (S. 1375) is the Senate version of the current postpartum depression legislation. (The House version, the Melanie Stokes Postpartum Depression bill (H.R. 20), has already passed.)
From the Action Alert:
Bill sponsors Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) have been working with Senate leadership to have the PPD bill be voted on this week as part of a package of other health-related legislation.
This is going to happen this week.
That is why we need your help …read more

The House of Representatives and the Senate have both passed their versions of Mental Health Parity (H.R. 1424 and S. 558, respectively); however, in a recent Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) Advocacy Alert, we’re reminded that the battle for Mental Health Parity isn’t quite finished, especially given the limited number of legislative days the House and the Senate have to come up with and agree on Mental Health Parity law that will benefit us all.
After seven years and a lot of blood, sweat and tears, victory is finally within reach. We are so close to the enactment of Mental …read more

Tuesday I told you about the shaky mental health care services in Asheville, North Carolina and briefly touched on Antidepressant Discontinuation Syndrome (ADS), the affliction many folks suffer when they abruptly stop taking their antidepressants.
Keep in mind that ADS isn’t the only negative outcome of losing mental health care coverage – not by a long shot. Abruptly stopping any kind of medication can bring severe mental and physical consequences.
Losing mental health insurance also leaves people without other psychiatric, therapy, and counseling services.
Today, let’s talk about damage control – what you can do if you should ever find yourself without mental …read more