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9-8-8 National Day of Action

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…

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…

EOHSS is listening! Creating a Behavioral Health Ambulatory Treatment System

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…

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,…

Landmark Parity Ruling in California

Landmark Parity Ruling On March 5, 2019 United States District Court for the Northern District of California held that United Behavioral Health (“UBH/Optum”), the country’s largest managed behavioral healthcare organization, illegally denied mental health and substance use coverage based on flawed medical necessity criteria. In his detailed ruling, Chief Magistrate Judge Joseph Spero found the…