CT Legislative Bills
to Watch * Contact your Legislators * Let them know your position on the issues that
matter to you & your loved ones. If you don’t let them know, they can’t help you. * 5
calls or emails are all that is needed to change a vote * (edited)
What to write or say:
My Testimony can be found by
clicking the following link ( advocacy tab above). Feel free to take the information that makes sense
to you, add your name, the town you live in, whether you oppose or support the
bill and either email or call your Legislator.
If you don’t use your voice for your loved one, nothing will
change. Your voice is important and
matters.
What Are the BIG
Bills being considered this session that affect you?
*857 STEP OR ‘FAIL-FIRST’
THERAPY Oppose,
Strongly
*169 AUSTISM
SPECTRUM DISORDER INS COVERAGE Support
6388 CONCERNING INTERMEDIATE CARE FACILITIES FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH
INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES. Support
6546 PHYSICAL THERAPY COVERAGE (MY TESTIMONY WILL CENTER ON BEHAVIORAL AND
MENTAL HEALTH SHOULD BE COVERED IF THIS IS.) Oppose as written, support with
Mental Behavioral Health Therapies Included
*6517 PARITY
COMPLIANCE & OVERSIGHT. Support
*6001 RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITIES FOR YOUNG ADULTS WITH DEVELOPMENTAL
DISABILITIES. Support
1023 NON-PROFIT REVENUE RETENTION (pls READ
TESTIMONY, VERY IMPORTANT BILL) Support
262 REPORTING
OF PATIENTS WHO POSE A RISK TO SELF OR OTHERS Oppose
**374 IN SCHOOL
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SCREENINGS Oppose-
Strongly as written and probably with changes.
1029 HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS Support
6612 MENTAL
HEALTH PARITY & OVERSIGHT Support,
Strongly
1087 RESPITE
(SHOULD INCLUDE DEVELOPMENTAL, BEHAVIORAL & MENTAL HEALTH) Oppose as written, Support with
changes to include M/BH
Legislator Contact Info:
Senator John McKinney John.mcKinney@cga.ct.gov
Representative Tony Hwang Tony@tonyhwang.com
Representative Brenda
Kupchick Brenda.Kupchick@cga.ct.gov
Representative Kim Fawcett Kim.Fawcett@cga.ct.gov
How to find what Bills are being heard that week or
more info on the ones listed?
Go to www.cga.ct.gov
Type in the Bill numbers at
the top of the page for the full bill, more info, etc.
Why Bother? Am I heard?
Remember even if a hearing
happened the vote hasn’t. Your
legislators need to hear from you.
The gun lobby is flooding
email boxes at the Legislature. Mental
and Behavioral Health Advocates ARE NOT!
The feeling is that all is fine so what needs to be fixed. The
reality is that as caregivers we have NO TIME. This is my way of making it as
easy as possible for you to be heard.
Please visit www.turtles-lemonade.com for:
Hospital Checklist: For when your loved one is
released. Now being used by several
non-profits, Legislators and caregivers throughout the state.
Testimony:
To get comfortable with the process.
Links: To
important info and agencies.
Daily Blogs:
On topics that affect our loved ones and us as caregivers.
Support: Through
the information provided, group and individual work.
~
Handout #2 Turtles & Lemonade, Legislative Issues and what they mean to us this year.
What is
Parity?
If you don’t
accept the concept of insurance parity, you accept the premise that a person
with stage 4 cancer whether 13 or 65, in excruciating pain goes to an emergency
room to get care; and as soon as their pain is managed, whether that is in 4
hours, or after three days when the insurance company stops paying, pain free
or not, they’re sent home with a prescription only? No follow-up, no support, nothing, until the
next time they are in so much pain they need to come back. That could be hours, days, weeks, or months later.
But make no mistake about it, until that person passes away they will be back
and they will be in the ER with crisis level pain and all of the associated
costs; real costs by insurance, family, personal, employment loss, etc.
You would
probably say that this is unacceptable for any reasonable person.
Now substitute
mental illness for cancer in the above scenario. That is the EXACT practice
that we have in this country. I’m
testifying to that fact today.
That is not
parity. That isn’t managed care. It is
cruelty and certainly not what we expect to get when paying our premiums.
We would never
accept a medications-only approach for our loved ones with cancer, without
exploring the options and services available for the most successful outcome
and quality of life available to them.
Insurance
companies pressure the medical community to ignore proven successful best
practices for quality of life and recovery when it comes to mental health
services and maintenance.
Mental Illness/Behavioral
Health Issues are no different from cancer, or heart disease or diabetes. Society may not think that, or like that, but
that is a fact.
Many caregivers
feel that the goal of insurance companies with respect to Behavioral/Mental
Health are to give them a prescription to mask the problem or manage symptoms,
send them on their way, and hope they don’t return which means they’ve passed
due to negligent care. That is the exact
opposite of our goal and our loved one’s goal. It is our feeling that the
Insurance Industry’s position is that by using this model our loved ones sooner
or later will no longer be a drain on their profits. What other demographic would we, as a
society, accept this for?
As with cancer,
early detection and managed care work.
It is the most cost effective model for insurance companies, patients
and society.
Enforce
the insurance parity laws currently on the books in CT. Begin true oversight. Add substantial penalties and no
loopholes. Caregivers need to be able to
trigger these penalties for our loved ones who are unable to for
themselves. If you chose to do nothing
you need be content with the insurance companies wish for these services to
ONLY be offered by the government. Yet,
remember that puts the burden for healthcare, support, housing, food,
unemployment and SSI on to you.
We need these new oversight laws before
the Legislature this session passed in order to put insurance companies on
notice that they’re being watched and will be held accountable. We need teeth
behind our parity laws with respect to behavior/mental health services. (CT OHA & Insurance Commission
currently are where to report your issues). Insurance companies have benefitted by the
inability of those who suffer from chronic mental illness/severe
developmental disabilities/behavioral issues to properly fill out insurance
paperwork, advocate and be tenacious enough to break through their cumbersome
system in order to access covered or available services and HIPPA laws which
prevent caregivers from helping them.
We
pay insurance premiums expecting to get what we pay for, yet rarely do when it
comes to behavioral health. Yet, if we
don’t pay our premium we don’t get covered care. Why are insurance companies that
aren’t providing covered care still allowed to be serving the public that PAYS
for their service?
Step-Therapy
When an insurance
company changes a brand name med to a generic. The change is not by a
Doctor. This saves the company money and has dire consequences when applied to
any med that deals with the brain. These
meds are supposed to be prohibited from this practice. That isn’t the case though.
Would this
happen if insurance companies knew there was true oversight and more than a
slap on their hand…if reported? Why are our CT non-profits held to a higher
standard?
The
true costs of providing proper mental health care coverage will decrease not increase insurance costs, reducing
overall health care cost to all.
Providing proper coverage will also reduce the need and associated costs
of emergency hospitalizations.
Great Resources
- The Public Health Committee’s December 18, 2012 report.
- The Connecticut Office of the Health Advocates January 5, 2013
report.
- The 2003 Blue Ribbon Commission Report.