We are disappointed to have to let you know we have made the difficult decision to postpone our Advocacy Day, scheduled for April 3rd. While we were working hard on converting our Advocacy Day to a virtual format, it’s clear that our legislators are extremely busy drafting laws to help mitigate the impact of COVID-19…
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…
On February 6th, the Massachusetts State Senate Released an Exciting Omnibus Mental Health Bill – SB 2519 An Act Addressing Barriers to Care for Mental Health. NAMI Mass thanks all the Senators who worked so hard to make this bill possible especially Senate President Karen Spilka, Senator Michael Rodrigues, Senator Cindy Friedman, Senator Julian Cyr,…
Now is the time individuals and families can apply and enroll in health and dental coverage and see if you qualify for free or lower cost coverage like MassHealth, ConnectorCare plans, or a tax credit. Open Enrollment is also the time of the year where consumers can buy a new health insurance plan or change…
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…
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…
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…
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…
The Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) is initiating an intensive effort to redesign the front door of behavioral health. Together, we will imagine a system that presents a no-wrong-door point of entry. A system with same-day access, that defines community-based emergency and urgent care responses and untangles the maze that has been…
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.…