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Recovery in the News
Letter to the Editor
Addiction treatment is a healthcare issue
The Patriot Ledger
October 12, 2007
There are only a few weeks left for Congress to act to make it possible for people still struggling with addiction and mental illness to get the help they need to recover.
Our son, Michael, has an addiction to drugs and alcohol. Addiction is not a choice, it is a disease that needs immediate attention. However, medical treatment is not covered for long-term treatment, and at times for any treatment.
We have not yet been able to get him the necessary medical treatment he needs because of the lack of financial aid available.
Please help to change this. Addiction is rampant and is not going to go away without immediate financial assistance.
I know that we can’t wait any longer to require insurance companies to pay the same benefits for mental illness and addiction care as they do for other healthcare.
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 Act 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, U.S. Reps. Jim Ramstad (R-Minn.) and Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) for holding field hearings across 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.
Susan Smith, Quincy
Copyright 2007 The Patriot Ledger