Today marks the 5th anniversary of the mental health parity bill which was to have ensured access to mental health services for all Americans with health insurance.
Remarkably, the Obama administration has yet to issue the final regulations that will define how parity is implemented.
In a very thoughtful piece published today in “The Hill” (a blog for lawmakers), former Representative Patrick Kennedy and Jeff Lieberman, the President of the American Psychiatric Association, urge that pressure be put on the Obama administration to issue these regulations.
They note the irony that the Obama administration, seemingly so interested in addressing issues raised by recent violent attacks on strangers, has focused on gun and criminal justice issues, but has paid inadequate attention to the need to ensure that those with psychiatric disorders have access to treatment.