Save mental health reform

The recent election and impending repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA, “Obamacare”) once again casts a cloud of uncertainty over our healthcare system. Our team is concerned about the impact that repeal would have on people with mental illness. The Trump administration, however, has indicated that certain popular portions of the ACA may be left in place. This creates an opportunity for advocates to fight for the ACA’s extensions to mental health care, especially as this has historically been a bipartisan issue. These provisions include:

Mental health parity extensions to the individual and small group markets: The ACA extends the 2008 Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act signed by President George W. Bush to an additional 62.5 million Americans. This requires equal coverage and cost for mental and physical treatments, thereby preventing insurance companies from discriminating against people with mental illness.
Inclusion of mental health and substance abuse treatment as an Essential Health Benefit: For the first time, this requires all individual and small group insurance plans to provide mental health and substance abuse treatment. This also bans annual or life-time treatment limits.
Allowing children to stay on their parent’s insurance until age 26: This increases insurance coverage for young adults, which is important because many of the most severe forms of mental illnesses like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder first emerge in this age group.
Banning discrimination based on preexisting conditions: Insurance companies used to exclude the sickest patients by charging them very high premiums or rejecting their applications for coverage outright. The ACA bans both of these practices, which were frequently used to target people with mental illnesses.
Expanding Medicaid and the social safety net: These provisions are particularly important for people with mental illness who are disproportionally represented in the vulnerable population served by Medicaid. These expansions address some of the root causes of homelessness, incarceration, unemployment, and inequalities in care. John Kasich and Chris Christie both chose to expand Medicaid in their states along with nearly a dozen other Red states including Mike Pence’s Indiana.

http://savementalhealthreform.org/

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Every one should give importance to mental health …!!! this subject are often ignored my people and government …!!!

cause they are normal

I completely disagree with obamacare being bipartisan. Historically practically no republicans voted for it. They tried to include some provisions to make them vote for it but Obama basically gave them the finger because he had an overwhelming majority of democrats(This is one of the reasons I call him one of the most partisan presidents). I don’t know what the republicans will do but they will probably have more input of democrats than the democrats gave them. Pro-obamacare people will insult them and hate them no matter what. I don’t see them doing this for political points because the mostly left wing media will give them none. They should just try to do this in a way that it works. I think that many of them actually have this in mind which is the only reason they are doing it.

Everybody likes to tout Obamacare but it has resulted in insurance premiums going up not down. Also the fact that it forces people to buy insurance is unconstitutional. I don’t know how they will fix it but I’ve heard of one thing that I agree with so far which is the ability to buy across state lines. I thought it was stupid when I had to get new healthcare when I moved to washington d.c.

Obama care is too expensive.

The best way to get coverage is stil through a good job with benefits.

Fortunately for those of us who are disabled there is Medicare.