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Recovery in the News
Parents push for treatment
Kim Mulford
Courier-Post
December 11, 2007
A dozen people descended on the legislative office of Speaker Joe Roberts Monday, asking him to let the Assembly vote Thursday on a bill that would force insurance companies to pay more for mental health and addiction treatment.
If passed, the Mental Health and Addiction Parity bill, A-2512, would require private insurers to cover mental health and addictions like other chronic diseases.
Parent to Parent, a grass-roots group, organized the rally with support from the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence-New Jersey.
Kass Foster, a founding member whose son died from a heroin overdose, read a statement outside the office, noting other bills protecting children were posted for Thursday by Roberts.
"Mr. Speaker, you've demonstrated you can recognize the hazard of yo-yo water balls being sold to our children and rightfully so," Foster said. "We ask that you demonstrate the same understanding of the extreme danger, and often fatal consequences, of having the addiction and mental health treatment of our children denied or limited by health insurers."
During a brief phone interview, Roberts said he could not post the bill in time for Thursday's session, but added he was "cautiously optimistic" it could be voted on before the legislative session ends in January.
He said New Jersey would be going into "uncharted territory" with this legislation and that its impact on health-care costs needs to be evaluated.
"We're working very hard to try to address the remaining issues," said Roberts, D-Camden. "I support mental health (and addiction) parity. It's proper and compassionate to provide treatment for people who need a variety of access to mental-health services. We need to find a way to do that."
Amendments to the bill are unacceptable, said John Hulick, director of public affairs and policy for NCADD-NJ. He said parity laws across the country have shown that insurance premiums are not increased, health-care costs are reduced and individuals' out-of-pocket expenses drop. New Jersey lawmakers, state workers and federal employees already enjoy parity, Hulick said.
"Expenses go down because the appropriate level of care for the period of time necessary is provided," Hulick said. "What you're ending is the revolving door of treatment."
Kathleen Dobbs of Barrington, a founding member of Parent to Parent, said she has waited 10 years for this legislation. Her health insurance company refused to cover her son's cocaine addiction treatment a decade ago. New Jersey taxpayers paid for his long-term rehab instead.
"Insurance companies walk away with millions of dollars in their pockets because they don't treat addiction and mental health the way they treat every other chronic disease," Dobbs said.
Susan Foose of Ventnor, another founding member, said she lost her 22-year-old son, Bryan, to a heroin addiction in 1997. He died two days after her insurance company refused to approve his care.
There are thousands of mothers like her who are still facing the same problems, she said.
"They always say our children are important, until it becomes "our addicted children,' " said Foose, who now works as a substance abuse counselor. "It's profits over people."
Copyright ©2007 Courier-Post.