APA Reminds Congress Of Its Priorities In Health Care Reform Legislation

Main Category: Psychology / Psychiatry
Also Included In: Mental Health
Article Date: 22 Jan 2010 - 3:00 PDT

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The American Psychiatric Association sent a letter to congressional leadership this week emphasizing the importance of including mental health parity and a basic benefit package requirement in all qualified health insurance plans in the legislation that reforms our nation's health insurance system.

"As you continue to work toward passage of health care reform, we urge you to include House language protecting advances in mental health 'parity' and extending health benefit coverage requirements to all health insurance plans, regardless of plan size, within five years of health reform passage" said APA President Alan F. Schatzberg, M.D., in the letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Schatzberg explained that the Affordable Health Care for America Act, H.R. 3962, includes the following two provisions that are urgent for the practice of psychiatry and the treatment of our patients.

- Preserving in whole the recent advances for parity in mental health and substance-use disorder treatment.

- Requiring a basic benefit package for all qualified health benefit plans in the Health Insurance Exchange, including mental health and substance-use disorder treatment, and extending this coverage requirement to all health insurance plans within five years.

"We urge you to regard these provisions as essential to reforming our nation's health insurance system. We recognize the continuing challenges for developing a comprehensive health reform plan and appreciate all of your efforts to secure enactment of this crucial legislation," Schatzberg concluded in the letter.

Source
American Psychiatric Association

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