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“We can’t wait for regulators, either at the federal or state level. We’ve got to be proactive and vigilant. This is our lives, our minds, our health — and therefore demanding the care we need is our responsibility. As consumers we must be clear not only what we won’t settle for, but what we’re ready to fight for.” -Patrick Kennedy, From the National Press Club Luncheon with Jim Ramstad March 14, 2012
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Patrick Kennedy Statement Following National Conference on Mental Health
Kennedy Calls on Administration to Finalize Parity Rule, Take Steps to Treat Brain Illness Equal to Physical Illness
WASHINGTON – Today, Patrick Kennedy participated in the National Conference on Mental Health held at the White House, hosted by President Obama and Vice President Biden and featuring Secretaries Sebelius, Duncan, Shinseki and advocates from around the country. After the conference he issued the following statement:
“Today’s event at the White House should form the beginning of a national conversation on mental health that will allow us to finally remove the stigma surrounding mental illness and continue tackling a number of pressing mental health challenges. The conference was a productive first step, but thousands of Americans are still waiting for the Administration to issue the final rule on the Mental Health Parity Act so that we can finally start treating the brain the same way we treat the rest of the body.”
“Today, I repeated my call to the Administration to include a public disclosure requirement for insurance companies in the final rule on parity, so that we can hold insurers accountable and make sure that, in their health plans, they give brain illness equal treatment to physical illness.”
“I applaud the President and his Administration for bringing together mental health advocates, educators, health care providers and members of the faith community in order to call attention to these issues today and for taking some of the biggest steps toward mental health parity in decades. As his Administration implements the Affordable Care Act and as health exchanges take root in all 50 states, we must remain focused on parity to address the challenges we face together.”