Call Your Senators about Health-Care Reform and Autism!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
By: Hannah Cary

Action alert

On October 13, the Senate Committee on Finance reported its health-care reform bill to the Senate. Before the full Senate votes, the Finance Committee bill must be merged with the health-care reform bill approved this summer by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP). 

The Autism Society is working with the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation, CHADD, Mental Health America and the National Alliance on Mental Illness; collectively, these organizations are asking their memberships to call their Senators and ask that they encourage the Senate leadership involved in merging the two bills—Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) and HELP Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT)—to help ensure that five key principles are included in the final Senate bill that goes to the Senate floor.

These five principles are:

1. Affordable health-care coverage for all children, youth and young adults up to age 26 that covers prevention, early identification and intervention with effective treatment, and services for mental and substance use disorders.
2. Health plans that do not impose restrictions on pre-existing conditions, do not terminate coverage when individuals are sick and require parity for mental health assessment and treatment with general health care.
3. A health-care system that requires plans to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate services to address racial and ethical disparities, as well as disability-based health disparities.
4. Incentives for the integration and coordination of primary care with specialty mental health services.
5. Incentives to produce a competent and accessible mental health workforce, prioritizing the need to address child mental health workforce shortages.

To find the contact information for your Senator, click here.

Find us on: