Next PAB Meeting

The next PAB meeting is scheduled for Wednesday 19 November 2008 at the TennCare building in MetroCenter, site of several of our most recent meetings.

On the agenda for this meeting are updates by Mary Rolando on the GOCCC's Substance Abuse Collaborative and Carol Nixon and STARS on the True North brief intervention pilot.

Note: due to the state's budget cuts, lunch will NOT be provided this time. We will work something out so that people don't die of starvation during the meeting.

More on the Parity Legislation

Via Nancy (by way of JoinTogether.org):

JT Direct News Alert
Join Together
Friday, Oct. 3, 2008 - 3:55 p.m. ET
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Congress, Bush Approve Addiction and Mental Health Parity Legislation

The long-held dream of parity in behavioral healthcare is now a
reality: The U.S. House of Representatives voted 263-171 to
approve the Wall Street bailout bill, which includes a provision
that mandates parity coverage for addiction and mental-health
care, and President George Bush swiftly signed the measure into
law.

READ MORE:

http://members.jointogether.org/ct/-dsEC5n1WYuY/parity

http://www.jointogether.org/news/features/2008/congress-approves-addiction.html

Nutritional Treatment for Drug Addiction?

A report in the Economist summarizes some current research in Britain and the U.S. on nutrition's effects in aiding recovery from drug addiction. The essence is: eating particular foods makes available more of the raw materials necessary to restore imbalances in neurotransmitters associated with addiction or other mental disorder. By removing the drugs and providing the nutrients, the brain's neurochemistry returns to "normal" and helps to fight chemically driven urges for substance use.

Mental Health and Addiction Parity Act Passes

Embedded in this week's economic bailout/rescue package that was passed today by the House of Representatives--and which will become law upon the president's signature--was the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2008.

The bill calls for parity in coverage of mental health and substance abuse services (from the linked article):

The legislation applies to group health plans of 51 or more employees. The bill takes the following steps:

• If a plan offers out-of-network benefits for medical or surgical care, it must also offer out-of-network coverage for mental health and addiction treatment and provide services at parity.
  
• Strong state parity and consumer protection laws are preserved while extending parity protection to 82 million more people who are not protected by state laws and 31 million in plans that are subject to state regulation.

State parity laws vary widely from state to state (for a map of state laws, visit www.mentalhealthamerica.net/go/parity/states).
...
For fact sheets on the legislation and more information, go to www.mentalhealthamerica.net.