Advocacy News & Alerts - NAMI Massachusetts

NAMI Announces REIMAGINE: A 988 Week of Action, Nov. 15th – 19th

9-8-8 National Day of Action We need your help to get 9-8-8 over the finish line! This easy-to-access, nationwide 3-digit emergency number (9-8-8*) will help people in a mental health crisis. And it’s close to becoming a reality. The Federal Communications Commission unanimously voted in July to designate 9-8-8 as the universal three-digit dialing code…

Attorney General announces agreements to enforce parity legislation

On February 27, 2020, Attorney General Maura Healey announced agreements with five insurers and two health benefits administrators to improve parity compliance and enforcement in the Commonwealth. This is an important step in improving access to behavioral health services and will effect up to 1 million people in the state. You can watch a short…

NAMI to Appeal Decision in Short-Term, Limited-Duration Plan Lawsuit

Last fall, NAMI joined a lawsuit challenging an Administration regulation that allowed for the expanded sale of short-term, limited duration (STLD) insurance plans. Earlier today, U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon upheld the Administration’s regulation in ACAP v. Treasury. NAMI believes this regulation hurts our decades-long fight for mental health parity by allowing for an…

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SJC: Hospital erred in holding mentally ill patient despite judge’s order

The Supreme Judicial Court ruled Thursday that Pembroke Hospital should not have arranged for a mentally ill patient who had nowhere else to go to be confined against his will after a judge ordered the patient’s release. Read the full story at Mass Live.

NAMI Mass testifies at the Joint Committee on Financial Services hearing

On Tuesday, May 7th, Lori Krinksky (President of NAMI Central Middlesex) and Monica Luke (Chair of the NAMI Mass Advocacy Committee) testified at the State House in support of H913 – An Act to increase consumer transparency about insurance provider networks S610 – An Act to increase consumer transparency about insurance provider networks S592 –…

Mental Health Treatment Denied to Customers by Giant Insurer’s Policies, Judge Rules

In a scathing decision released Tuesday, a federal judge in Northern California ruled that a unit of UnitedHealth Group, the giant health insurer, had created internal policies aimed at effectively discriminating against patients with mental health and substance abuse disorders to save money. U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge Joseph C. Spero found that United Behavioral Health,…

State expands treatment for people with both addiction and mental illness

Massachusetts health officials are significantly expanding addiction treatment, adding nearly 400 long-term recovery beds devoted to people who suffer from both addiction and mental illness. The recent move aims to address a major failing of the current system: Addiction programs typically lack the expertise to also treat the depression, anxiety, and trauma that often underlie…