[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 23 (Thursday, March 3, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E356]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              LETTER FROM THE MENTAL HEALTH LIAISON GROUP

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. TED STRICKLAND

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 3, 2005

  Mr. STRICKLAND. Mr. Speaker, I would like to submit the following 
letter for the Congressional Record:
       Dear Representatives Strickland and Murphy: The undersigned 
     organizations in the Mental Health Liaison Group, 
     representing patients, health professionals and family 
     members, are pleased to support your legislation, the 
     Medicare Mental Health Copayment Equity Act. Under your 
     legislation, Medicare's historic discriminatory 50 percent 
     coinsurance for outpatient mental health care would be 
     reduced over six years to 20 percent, bringing the 
     coinsurance into line with that required of Medicare 
     beneficiaries for other Part B services.
       Simply put, current law discriminates against Medicare 
     beneficiaries who seek treatment for mental illness. This 
     affects elderly and non-elderly Medicare beneficiaries alike 
     when they seek mental health care. According to the 1999 U.S. 
     Surgeon General's report on mental health, almost 20 percent 
     of elderly individuals have some type of mental disorder 
     uncommon in typical aging. In addition, elderly individuals 
     have the highest rate of suicide in the U.S., often the 
     result of depression. The Surgeon General's report states, 
     ``Late-life depression is particularly costly because of the 
     excess disability that it causes and its deleterious 
     interaction with physical health. Older primary care patients 
     with depression visit the doctor and emergency rooms more 
     often, use more medication, incur higher outpatient charges, 
     and stay longer at the hospital.''
       The 50 percent coinsurance requirement also is unfair to 
     the non-elderly disabled Medicare population. Because many of 
     these individuals have severe mental illnesses combined with 
     low incomes and high medical expenses, a 50 percent 
     coinsurance obligation is a serious patient burden. For 
     elderly and non-elderly Medicare beneficiaries alike, 
     Medicare is a critical source of care. Your legislation to 
     ensure that Medicare beneficiaries needing mental health care 
     incur only the same cost-sharing obligations as required of 
     all other Medicare patients would end the statutory 
     discrimination against Medicare beneficiaries seeking 
     treatment for mental disorders.
       Thank you for your leadership in addressing this important 
     issue for the nation's 40 million Medicare patients.
           Sincerely,
       Alliance for Children and Families.
       American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
       American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry.
       American Association of Children's Residential Centers.
       American Association of Pastoral Counselors.
       American Association of Practicing Psychiatrists.

       American Group Psychotherapy Association.
       American Mental Health Counselors Association.
       American Occupational Therapy Association.
       American Psychiatric Association.
       American Psychiatric Nurses Association.
       American Psychoanalytic Association.
       American Psychological Association.
       American Psychotherapy Association.
       Anxiety Disorders Association of America.
       Association for the Advancement of Psychology.
       Association for Ambulatory Behavioral Healthcare.
       Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law.
       Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity 
     Disorder.
       Clinical Social Work Federation.
       Clinical Social Work Guild.
       Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance.
       Eating Disorders Coalition for Research, Policy & Action.
       Ensuring Solutions to Alcohol Problems.
       International Society of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses.
       NAADAC, The Association for Addiction Professionals.
       National Alliance for the Mentally Ill.
       National Association for Children's Behavioral Health.
       National Association for Rural Mental Health.
       National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated 
     Disorders (ANAD).
       National Association of Mental Health Planning & Advisory 
     Councils.
       National Association of Protection and Advocacy Systems.
       National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems.
       National Mental Health Association.
       Suicide Prevention Action Network USA.

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