ASAM Advocacy

Final Parity Regulations Go Into Effect On July 1, 2010

Rules implementing the 2008 Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) go into effect for plan years beginning on or after July 1, 2010.

This parity law requires that employers who offer mental health or addiction treatment benefits, and have 50 or more employees, must provide coverage for these benefits on par with the coverage provided for medical and/or surgical benefits. Historically, mental health and addiction treatment benefits have been subject to much stricter treatment and reimbursement limitations than medical/surgical benefits. Implementation of MHPAEA means expanded coverage for millions of Americans living with mental illness and/or addicitons.

For more information about your rights and benefits per this new law, please visit Mental Health Parity Watch. If you are having difficulty accessing these benefits, call the U.S. Department of Labor at 1.866.444.EBSA (3732).

President Obama Passes "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act"

On March 23, 2010, addiction physicians and their patients all over the country won a resounding victory as President Obama signed landmark health care legislation that included many of the principles and provisions advanced by ASAM and the Coalition for Whole Health, a coalition of addiction and mental health organizations of which ASAM is a member. For more information on the addiction-related provisions in these bills, click here. [Health Care Reform Bill]

The historic bill signing ceremony capped a seventeen year effort to bring treatment of diseases of the brain in line with the treatment of diseases of the body and built on the foundation laid by the field’s historic parity victory. When the law is fully implemented, 32 million Americans who are uninsured today will have access to health insurance coverage that includes mental health and substance use disorder treatment services at parity.

The President subsequently signed a reconciliaiton bill called the "Health Care Affordability Reconciliaiton Act" that included a number of additional health insurace reforms not contained in the larger bill.

President Obama Signs FDA Tobacco Regulation Bill

On June 22, 2009, President Obama enacted bipartisan legislation that gives the federal Food and Drug Administration the authority to regulate the sale and marketing of tobacco products. It is hoped that this law will advances public health efforts to significantly reduce addiction to, and disability associated with, tobacco use in America.

SCHIP Bill Includes Parity

On Wednesday, February 4, 2009, President Obama signed into law a bill that reauthorized the government-funded State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). In addition to extending children’s health insurance to an additional 4 million children, this law also extends mental health and addiction parity to the SCHIP program. While the Congressional Budget Office estimates that this expanded coverage will cost the government an additional $32.8 billion, a 62 cent-per-pack increase in the cigarette tax should offset most of this.