THE FLORIDA MENTAL HEALTH PARITY ACT

• HB7-Homan / SB182-Crist: the actual bill
• Letter to Representatives about "Parity"
• DOH Analysis of HB19: (Department of Health)
• 2007 Florida Senate Study on Parity: last done 1997
• Parity at the Federal Level [HR1424]
• Representative Patrick Kennedy's testimony in July 2007
• Actuary Steve Melek's testimony in July 2007
• Milliman Acturial Analysis of HR 1424

RESEARCH ARTICLES ON THE COSTS/EFFECTS OF "PARITY"

• NEJM (New England Journal of Medicine) Report on Parity: the largest study of parity ever done examining the effects of the 1996 federal law on the 8.5 million employees in the FEHB (Federal Employees Health Benefits) program.
• The Abstract (1 page)
• The Full Report (9 pages)
• Cost Impact on Small Groups and Individual Plans
• Summaries of 34 Articles published between 1997-2007: by Johns Hopkins, Harvard, & MIT; the U.S. CBO, GAO, SAMSHA, & the Surgeon General; JAMA, Aetna, and the National Retail Federation.
• Rand Research Paper: what happens after parity becomes law.
• APA Points on Parity: the American Psychiatric Association's paper on why parity is needed with references documented.
• NAMI's Children's Mental Health Fact Sheet: with references

EFFECTS OF PARITY IN SMALL STATES WITH SMALL EMPLOYERS

• New Hampshire: the effects of the 1994 parity law
• Vermont: the most comprehensive state parity law passed in 1998
• West Virginia: mental health parity passed in 2002
• Report
• the Data
• Parity: other states costs experience

SUPREME COURT STUDY ON MENTAL HEALTH IN THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM

• the Full Report (170 pages)
• Judge Leifman's report to the House Committee for Health Families 2/08

ENDORSEMENTS

• Senator Victor Crist's Press Release on Parity
• FMA & Others
• Mental Health Parity Co-Sponsers 2007-08

EDITORIALS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

• Op-Ed piece "Speaking Out" about Mental Health and Parity with references
• Fair Coverage for Mental Health
• Orlando Sentinel by Louise Buhrman, MD, Past President of the FPA.
• Parity: Fair coverage for mental health treatment Gainsville Sun
• A Fight for Fairness on Mental Health St. Petersburg Times 3/7/2008
• Stand Up For Consumers And Force Insurers To Cover Mental Illness Tampa Tribune 3/12/2008
• Mental Health: Parity makes sense The Florida Times-Union 4/17/08

PARITY: WHY IS IT SO DIFFICULT?

• The Politics of Parity
• The Costs of Parity
• Mission Unfulfilled

PUBICATIONS ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH

• Brouchure from the Houston Mental Health Assoc.
• Booklet from the Houston Mental Health Assoc.
• Men and Depression from Newsweek February 2007

COMMITTEE PRESENTATIONS 2007

• House Health Innovation Committee
• House Health Council
• Senate Healthcare Committee
• Senate Healthcare Follow-Up

PATIENT STORIES ON PARITY (OR LACK OF)

• Story 1 - an affluent PhD with mental illness
• Story 2 - the common employment issues with Bipolar Disorder