Get Involved - Health Care Reform and Congress - During August
13 Principles to Consider
CHADD encourages everyone
interested in helping people with AD/HD and related and/or co-occurring
disorders—including families and health care
professionals—to contact their members of Congress before Congress
returns to Washington, DC, on September 8. Explain what health care
reform can do to help people with AD/HD.
CHADD’s messages are consistent with those of the Campaign for
Mental Health Reform, Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities,
National Health Council, Whole Health Campaign, Congressional
Tri-Caucus, National Alliance on Mental Illness, Mental Health America,
First Focus, National Council for Community Behavioral Health, and many
other coalitions and sister organizations.
CHADD does not have policy
suggestions regarding how to finance comprehensive health care reform,
but we have core principles to improve the health of millions of
Americans with special health care needs, including AD/HD. CHADD does
not have a position on the concept of a “public plan” or
“regional cooperative.” Many different financing approaches
can address these core principles. We hope that all members of Congress
interested in health care reform can incorporate our 13 principles into
their proposals.
CHADD
supports:
- A health care initiative
that provides health care coverage for all Americans.
- Health care plans that
require “parity” for mental health assessment and treatment.
This includes non-discrimination between health conditions.
- Health care plans must not
discriminate on the basis of pre-existing conditions or health
status.
- Health care plans must not
terminate coverage when people become seriously ill or are being treated
for long-term chronic conditions and must not have lifetime
caps.
- Health plans must not be
allowed to charge exorbitant out-of-pocket deductibles and
co-pays.
- A health care initiative
that allows young adults to stay covered on their parents’ plan
until the age of 26.
- A health care initiative
that specifically covers young adults, with a particular focus on young
adults with special health care needs.
- A health care initiative
that specifically covers the assessment and treatment of children,
particularly those children with special health care needs.
- A health care initiative
that requires continued affordable coverage when one loses or changes
jobs.
- A health care initiative
that includes wellness and prevention services.
- A health care initiative
that emphasizes integrated primary health care with specialty services,
including promotion of the medical home concept. This also includes
consumer-oriented and “meaningful” use of electronic medical
records and personal health records.
- A health care initiative
that allows all citizens a choice of health plans.
- A health care initiative
that requires health plans to include culturally and linguistically
appropriate programs and affirmative provisions dealing with racial and
ethnic disparities. This includes recognition of disability-based health
disparities.
Details of CHADD’s
approach are available from our public
policy website and several CEO
blogs.
Get involved: (as suggested by NAMI)
- Request a meeting with
your member of Congress at their local offices
- Attend the town hall
meetings
- Call in to local radio
talk shows
- Talk to members of
Congress during picnics, parades, and other public events
- Write letters to the
editor of your local paper (with copies to appropriate members of
Congress)
CHADD does not have answers
to all the complex issues raised in national health care reform.
Implementation of the 13 principles above will result in significant
improvement in health and financial security for individuals with AD/HD,
and related and/or co-occurring disorders. Different financing
provisions can address each of these 13 principles.
Posted August 18, 2009
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