Advocacy News & Alerts - NAMI Massachusetts

Save the Date for Advocacy Day 2020!

Friday, April 3rd, 2020 at the Massachusetts State House . Advocacy Day is when over 200 NAMI supporters come together to raise our voices! We meet in the Great Hall in the Massachusetts State House and hear impassioned speakers, meet our fellow NAMI members, enjoy lunc,h and then meet directly with our own legislators. Want to…

Presidential Candidate Forum on Mental Health

On September 27th 7:00-10:00 PM ET, Mental Health for US is bringing together presidential candidates and our community to talk about some of the most urgent issues facing the nation today: mental health and addiction. Candidates will discuss their plans and voters will ask their most pressing questions about these issues ahead of the Iowa…

Hand writing Advocacy with blue marker on transparent wipe board.

Ghost Networks & the Budget passed!

Thank you so much to all our advocates who reached out to legislators and the Governor in the last couple of weeks. We have been successfully on all fronts! At the end of the session, both the House & Senate unanimously passed the Ghost Networks bill – S 2295 – An Act to increase…

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…

Tell Congress to invest in Mental Health

This time of year, Congress makes decisions on funding important programs and services. We need your voice to tell policymakers to pass a budget that invests in mental health research, services and supports. Fortunately, the House Appropriations Committee has already shown that they are willing to support Americans affected by mental health conditions by passing a funding…

Parity a hot topic at Joint Committee on Financial Services Hearing

NAMI Mass joined other members of the Massachusetts Parity Taskforce and the Mental Health Coalition to testify at the State House on June 6th. The Financial Services Committee was hearing many bills that are important to our NAMI community. Monica Luke, Chair of the Advocacy Committee for NAMI Mass, testified on the parity bills (H.…

Mass. Senate seeks mental health reform, starting with FY20 budget

Massachusetts state Sen. Julian Cyr knows firsthand how difficult it is to access behavioral healthcare. He’s been trying for the past two years to get his outpatient therapist covered by his insurance provider. Read more

June 6 – Financial Services Hearing

Have you been denied insurance reimbursement? Can’t access ESP services through your insurance? Tell Legislators about your experience Several mental health bills are coming up for hearing by the Joint Committee on Financial Services. Among the top priorities for NAMI Mass are, H. 910/ S.588 An Act relative to mental health parity implementation: Rep.…

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,…