Fw: Advocacy Group Tells Lawmakers 'Don't Blow It'

>> Advocacy Group Presses for Congressional Action for Children With Mental >> Disabilities: Bazelon Center Tells Lawmakers 'Don't Blow It' >> >> WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 (AScribe Newswire) -- The Bazelon Center for >> Mental Health Law, the nation's leading legal-advocacy organization >> representing people with mental disabilities, today urged lawmakers to >> act on >> legislation to expand coverage of health care services for children with >> severe emotional disturbances. >> >> "Congress can make a difference for families struggling to get >> mental >> health services for their children" said Laurel Stine, Director of >> Federal >> Relations at the Bazelon Center. "Lawmakers must not miss this critical >> opportunity to act." >> >> The Family Opportunity Act would help families of children with >> severe >> disabilities - including children with serious mental and emotional >> disorders >> - get needed health and mental health care for their child. Stine and >> other >> mental health advocates spent the day lobbying Members of Congress to >> pass >> the legislation this year by handing out whistles to remind lawmakers not >> to >> "blow it" for families who have long waited for enactment of the bill. >> >> "For three years, this bill has had remarkable bipartisan support >> in >> both the House and the Senate," continued Stine. "If I were a member of >> one >> of these families, I'd be wondering why more wasn't getting done." >> >> The bill was first introduced in early 2000, but has died each >> year. >> Supporters in the Senate tried last week to pass the bill - a move >> advocates >> believe would have increased pressure on the House of Representatives to >> take >> up the measure. But efforts to move the legislation were blocked when an >> unidentified Senator objected. >> >> "Families across the country are being torn apart," said Mary >> Giliberti, a senior staff attorney at the Bazelon Center and co-author of >> the >> 1998 book, Relinquishing Custody: The Tragic Result of Failure to Meet >> Children's Mental Health Needs. "The Family Opportunity Act could help >> change >> that." >> >> Currently, many families who lack adequate insurance to cover >> much-needed mental health services for their child must face difficult >> decisions. For some, Medicaid can offer comprehensive services, but >> becoming >> eligible often requires parents to choose between living in poverty or >> giving >> up custody of their child to the state. One in five families with >> children >> with mental illnesses are told by the state to give up custody of their >> child, according to a study by the National Alliance for the Mentally >> Ill. To >> avoid giving up custody, many parents turn down hard-earned promotions >> and >> pay increases, effectively spending down to remain eligible for Medicaid >> coverage. >> >> "I can think of few policies that are more regressive than the way >> we >> cover kids with mental illnesses," concluded Giliberti. "Something is >> definitely broken here and it's past time we started fixing it." >> >> The Senate may again take up the Family Opportunity Act this week. >> >> The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law is the nation's leading >> legal >> advocate for people with mental disabilities. Since its founding in 1972, >> the >> nonprofit organization's precedent-setting litigation and public-policy >> advocacy has successfully challenged many barriers and expanded access to >> public schools, workplaces, housing and many other opportunities for >> community life. For more information, please visit the Bazelon Center >> online >> at www.bazelon.org. >> >> -30- >>