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Recovery in the News
Letter to the Editor
Help for addictions
Vallejo Times Herald
October 12, 2007
I am one of the millions of Americans who are no longer using alcohol and other drugs and am in long-term recovery from addiction. Unfortunately there are far too many other people who need help to get on with their lives but can't get it. They are our moms and dads, friends and neighbors, who face discrimination from their health insurance companies just when they need help the most.
Now Congress is poised to finally bridge the gap between what people need and what they get. The Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity of 2007 would expand access to treatment by ending practices like higher co-pays and deductibles, restrictive day and visit limits and lower and annual lifetime caps on people seeking mental illness and addiction treatment and recovery services. Nearly 60 percent of all House members support the bill, named after the late Sen. Paul Wellstone, who championed similar legislation before he died in a plane crash in 2002.
I laud the sponsors of the bill, Reps. Jim Ramstad (R-MN) and Patrick Kennedy (D-MA) for holding field hearings cross the country this spring, where they heard the horror stories of individuals and families who were denied coverage, even though they had health insurance. I also thank them for speaking out about their own recoveries from addiction, the care they received, and the care they and I believe every other American deserves.
It's time to spend our money wisely and invest in opportunities for even more of our friends and neighbors to recover from addiction.
Making it possible for more people to get help with their addiction is a bipartisan issue. Ending insurance discrimination will make a difference in our community. It's very likely someone you know needs help and can't get it.
Dennis Wade, Vallejo
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