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NAMI NEW JERSEY ADVOCACY E-NEWS
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June 20, 2006
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ADVOCACY NEWS FROM NAMI NEW JERSEY:
PARITY BILL ADVANCES
Expanding coverage for mental illnesses
Employers that provide mental health coverage would be
required to offer unlimited benefits on par with physical
illnesses, under a bill the Assembly Health and Senior Citizens
Committee unanimously approved.
Current law requires employers to cover treatment, with
some limitations, for "biologically based" mental
illnesses, such as bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive
disorder and schizophrenia, according to the legislation.
The bill would expand coverage for people suffering from
other mental illnesses and disorders, including alcohol
and drug addiction, as long as the treatment is ordered
by a doctor or licensed health care professional.
Self-insured companies or employers, whose benefit plans
are not regulated by the state, would not be affected.
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NAMI NEW JERSEY, the State's voice on mental illness, is
a statewide coalition of self-help support and advocacy
groups composed of families and friends of persons with
a serious mental illness. With chapters in all 21 counties
we are New Jersey's largest grassroots organization
dedicated to improving the quality of life of individuals
who have a serious mental illness and their families.
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Please distribute this Alert to other advocates for
improved mental health services in New Jersey.
If you would like to receive NAMI NEW JERSEY Advocacy
Alerts by email, contact Phil Lubitz, Director of Advocacy
Programs at
plubitz@optonline.net
or by phone 732-940-0991.
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NAMI NEW JERSEY
1562 Route 130, North Brunswick, New Jersey 08902
Phone:732.940.0991 Fax:732.940.0355
E-mail: naminj@optonline.net
Web Address: www.naminj.org
Copyright © 2006 NAMI NEW JERSEY - All Rights Reserved
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