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To:

Mental Health Liaison Group Members

From:

From: Peter Newbould, MHLG Health Policy Committee Cochair
c/o American Psychological Assn. Practice Organization, 202-336-5889

Chris Koyanagi, MHLG Health Policy Committee Cochair
c/o Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, 202-467-5730 x118

Re:

Action Alert: Medicare Parity Amendment

Date:

June 12, 2003

On Thursday, June 12, 2003 Sen. John Kerry will offer a Medicare outpatient mental health parity amendment in the Finance Committee markup of the Medicare drug bill. The text will be the same as S. 853, the Snowe-Kerry bill that most MHLG members supported in a recent letter. (See Mental Health Copayment Equity Act of 2003 Endorsement letters).

DC representatives of supporting organizations -- and as many constituents as possible in the short term -- need to call the offices of Senators on the Finance Committee and urge support for the Kerry amendment. Names and phone numbers are listed below. This may be our only chance in this Congress to get some improvement of the discriminatory mental health benefit in Medicare.

Message: “I’m calling to urge the Senator to support the Kerry mental health parity amendment in the Finance markup of Medicare. This will be an important step to easing the high out of pocket cost of using outpatient mental health benefits in Medicare.”

Charles Grassley (R-IA), Chairman (202) 224-3744
Orrin Hatch (R-UT) (202) 224-5251
Don Nickles (R-OK) (202) 224-5754
Trent Lott (R-MS) (202) 224-6253
Olympia Snowe (R-ME) (202) 224-5344
Jon Kyl (R-AZ) (202) 224-4521
Craig Thomas (R-WY) (202) 224-6441
Rick Santorum (R-PA) (202) 224-6324
Bill Frist (R-TN) (202) 224-3344
Gordon Smith (R-OR) (202) 224-3753
Jim Bunning (R-KY) (202) 224-4343
Max Baucus (D-MT), Ranking Member (202) 224-2651
John Rockefeller (D-WV) (202) 224-6472
Thomas Daschle (D-SD) (202) 224-2321
John Breaux (D-LA) (202) 224-4623
Kent Conrad (D-ND) (202) 224-2043
Bob Graham (D-FL) (202) 224-3041
Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) (202) 224-5521
John Kerry (D-MA) (202) 224-2742
Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) (202) 224-4843
James Jeffords (I-VT) (202) 224-5141

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