ADVOCACY NEWS FROM NAMI NEW JERSEY:
1. BUDGET CUTS FORCE REDUCTION IN BENEFITS FOR N.J. DISABLED
2. LAW PROMPTS SOME HEALTH PLANS TO CUT MENTAL-HEALTH BENEFITS
3. NAMI RELEASES FAMILY GUIDE ON ADOLESCENT DEPRESSION
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BUDGET CUTS FORCE REDUCTION IN BENEFITS FOR N.J. DISABLED
Supplemental Security Income, a federal program run by the Social Security Administration and handled by the Department of Human Services in New Jersey, includes both federal and state payments. Years ago, the federal government reduced benefits to couples when one of the spouses is ineligible for SSI benefits. So New Jersey decided to cover the gap with state money.
But when state officials faced an $11 billion shortfall while patching together this year’s budget, they decided to reduce the state supplement to couples. It’s another example of how the state’s budget crisis has imperiled safety nets for the poor and elderly.
Read more:
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/12/nj_workers_to_face_reductions.html
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LAW PROMPTS SOME HEALTH PLANS TO CUT MENTAL-HEALTH BENEFITS
Members of the Screen Actors Guild recently read in their health plan's newsletter that, beginning in January, almost 12,000 of its participants will lose access to treatment for mental-health and substance-abuse issues. The guild's health plan represents one of a small number of unions, employers and insurers that are scrapping such benefits for their enrollees because of a 2008 law that requires that mental-health and substance-abuse benefits, if offered, be as robust as medical or surgical benefits. By dropping such coverage, providers can circumvent the requirements.
Read More:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703395904576025410628499574.html?KEYWORDS=mental+health
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NAMI RELEASES FAMILY GUIDE ON ADOLESCENT DEPRESSION
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has published an updated and expanded edition of What Families Need to Know about Adolescent Depression, a guide for families who want to know about accurate diagnosis and effective treatment options for teenagers experiencing depression. The 36-page family guide summarizes symptoms of depression and treatment options for adolescents and provides information regarding suicide prevention, health care and therapy.
Press release:
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/12/prweb4906894.htm
