Most of us start off the
new year with a commitment to change or want
to fix some troubling aspect of our lives.
For millions of Americans who wake up with a
hangover on Jan. 1 and vow to quit drinking
or taking drugs, their resolve this year
comes with an unprecedented resource: their
own
health insurance.
Named for the former U.S.
senators who championed the legislation in
Congress, the Paul Wellstone and Pete
Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction
Parity Act eliminate discrimination by
insurance companies by expanding access to
treatment for people who want to use their
coverage to get help for addiction to
alcohol or other drugs, as well as
depression, eating disorders and other
mental illnesses. The new law was passed in
2008 but only takes full effect this week,
opening the door to hope and help for 112
million people with employer-sponsored group
health plans. Now, those plans are
required to match the financial benefits for
mental illness and addiction like they do
for all other medical or surgical benefits,
including out-of-pocket expenses,
deductibles and co-pays.
"It is a new era for the
still suffering addicts and alcoholics in
this country," said former Rep. Jim Ramstad
of Minnesota, who led the long legislative
fight to expand insurance benefits.
"Finally, these people and their families
all across America will get the help they
need and deserve to recover."
People like Lydia M. of
Lawrence, Kan. She contacted me in 2007
desperate for assistance for a long-term
dependency on
pain
medication
.
A store manager for 15 years, she thought
her insurance was sufficient.
But when she sought treatment, the
40-year-old single mom discovered it only
covered a handful of outpatient visits. She
is still struggling.
"It takes all the energy
I have to keep my job and stay off the
pills," Lydia told me last week. "My kids
are teenagers now, they're a big help at
home, they even empathize. They want me to
get help. I want help. What I want is enough
help to stop using, live my life free from
the pills for good."
Lydia's goal is to go
back to her job as human resource director
in the next few weeks and to get a referral
to a nearby facility that offers longer-term
options she would otherwise be unable to
afford. "By paying all these premiums over
the years I've been investing for just this
moment," she said. "It's time I get what I
deserve from my insurance."
There are exceptions to
the new law. Companies with fewer than 50
employees are exempt. Also, companies that
don't already provide such coverage are not
required to do so. But because most already
have a least a basic benefit for
mental illness and addiction, the law is
expected to vastly expand the number of
employees who are covered.
The key, according to
Ramstad and other experts, is for consumers
like Lydia to understand their rights under
the new law, not to give in or give up if
their insurance won't equitably cover
treatment services. That will take time and
effort. But for Lydia and people like her,
the time to take action is now. The stakes
are high. So, too, are the rewards.
William Moyers is the
vice president of foundation relations for
the Hazelden Foundation and the author of
"Broken," his best-selling memoirs, and "A
New Day, A New Life." Please send your
questions to William Moyers at
wmoyers@hazelden.org. To find out more about
William Moyers and read his past columns,
visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at
www.creators.com.
COPYRIGHT 2010
CREATORS.COM
