Advocacy E-News April 2, 2015

April 2, 2015

 

NAMI REPORT FINDS INSURANCE DISCRIMINATION

Health insurance plans are falling short in coverage of mental health and substance abuse conditions according to a report issued today by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), based on a survey of 2,720 consumers and an analysis of 84 insurance plans in 15 states.
“Despite the law, discrimination still exists toward mental health and substance use conditions,” said NAMI Executive Director Mary Giliberti. “Progress is being made, but there is still a long road ahead. NAMI’s report identifies areas where insurance companies need to improve and greater scrutiny is needed.”

See the report A Long Road Ahead, Achieving True Parity in Mental Health and Substance Use Care

 

N.J. DOCTORS LEAST WILLING TO ACCEPT MEDICAID PATIENTS

The Affordable Care Act has provided a path for 420,500 low-income New Jersey residents to gain insurance through the Medicaid program, but a new study says the state ranks last in the nation in doctors willing to treat them. Just 38.7 percent of New Jersey physicians said they accepted new Medicaid patients in 2013 — far below the national average of nearly 69 percent. New Jersey is the only state where fewer than half of the doctors accepted new Medicaid patients.

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ROLE OF ILLNESS IN GERMANWINGS CRASH RAISES WORRY ABOUT STIGMA

An intense focus on the role of the co-pilot’s mental illness in the Germanwings jetliner crash has raised concerns that it risks unfairly stigmatizing millions of people with mental disorders and making it less likely they will seek treatment. That, in turn, could make it even harder to identify people working in high-risk professions who pose a threat to public safety.

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See the NAMI Statement: The Germanwings Tragedy

 

NY BUDGET FUNDS POLICE TRAINING ON THE MENTALLY ILL

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) – Mental health advocates say New York lawmakers have added $1.5 million to the state budget for more pilot programs to train police officers in dealing with the mentally ill. The money for the fiscal year that began Wednesday will expand the list of jurisdictions where police get the training, intended to ensure connections between police, families and people in crisis and keep them out of the criminal justice system.

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