Testimony on H.B. 1174 An Act Requiring Mental Health Parity For Disability Policies

House Bill 1174

An Act Requiring Mental Health Parity For Disability Policies

January 24, 2012

Testimony of Laurie Martinelli, Executive Director

National Alliance on Mental Illness of Massachusetts (NAMI Massachusetts)

Honorable Chairs and Members of the Committee:

My name is Laurie Martinelli, and I am the Executive Director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Massachusetts (NAMI Massachusetts).

NAMI is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. NAMI advocates for access to services and treatment, and is steadfast in its commitment to raising awareness for all of those in need. Since our inception in 1979, NAMI has been dedicated to improving the quality of life of individuals and families affected by mental illness.

We are here today to advocate for a health care system that ensures equal access to treatment for those with mental illness, and specifically I am here today in support of House Bill 1174, an act which would require parity for both mental health and physical health in disability insurance.

Today, we have a system where physical health coverage is not equal to mental health coverage in disability insurance.  The disability insurance system that exists  covers physical disabilities for life, and only covers mental disabilities for two years. This difference is called discrimination and is patently unfair.

The Legislature has redressed this inequity in the Parity legislation that it passed in 2000 and again in 2009 – parity created fundamental fairness between mental illness and physical illness by requiring health insurance for “biologically based” illnesses.  NAMI is asking for this same equal coverage by disability policies for both mental and physical health.

Our state’s mental health care crisis is everyone’s problem and its solution is everyone’s responsibility.

Passing this H. 1174 would not require an outlay of any taxpayer money, a resource we know is in short supply these days.

It would require companies that provide short and long term disability insurance to cover physical disabilities and mental disabilities for the same length of time, and it would require these companies to not have any different limitations for behavioral health coverage than those than exist for physical health.

We know that there are costs involved in funding shelters, hospital emergency departments, and the criminal justice system – costs that are increased as programs for people with mental illness are decreased.  This bill would ensure that people with mental illness that are not able to work for a period of time would receive the coverage afforded by their disability policies. Otherwise, they are forced to access and rely upon state funded safety net services.

Many people who go on disability insurance can, with treatment and time, return to work and again be productive members of society. This bill would help ensure that the insurance coverage they have would cover some of the costs associated with their recovery from mental illness.

NAMI has brought both consumers (and peers) and experts here today to testify on the impact this has on the community, and also to discuss the underlying assumptions behind excluding mental health issues, that mental illness is not malingering or the idea that mental illness is not a real illness in the same way that diabetes is an illness.

NAMI urges the committee to issue a favorable report on House Bill 1174.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify.