Resolution With a Backbone by William Moyers on Creators.com

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Resolution With a Backbone

Most of us start off the new year with a commitment to change or want to fix some troubling aspect of our lives. For millions of Americans who wake up with a hangover on Jan. 1 and vow to quit drinking or taking drugs, their resolve this year comes with an unprecedented resource: their own health insurance.

Named for the former U.S. senators who championed the legislation in Congress, the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Parity Act eliminate discrimination by insurance companies by expanding access to treatment for people who want to use their coverage to get help for addiction to alcohol or other drugs, as well as depression, eating disorders and other mental illnesses. The new law was passed in 2008 but only takes full effect this week, opening the door to hope and help for 112 million people with employer-sponsored group health plans. Now, those plans are required to match the financial benefits for mental illness and addiction like they do for all other medical or surgical benefits, including out-of-pocket expenses, deductibles and co-pays.

"It is a new era for the still suffering addicts and alcoholics in this country," said former Rep. Jim Ramstad of Minnesota, who led the long legislative fight to expand insurance benefits. "Finally, these people and their families all across America will get the help they need and deserve to recover."

People like Lydia M. of Lawrence, Kan. She contacted me in 2007 desperate for assistance for a long-term dependency on pain medication. A store manager for 15 years, she thought her insurance was sufficient.

But when she sought treatment, the 40-year-old single mom discovered it only covered a handful of outpatient visits. She is still struggling.

"It takes all the energy I have to keep my job and stay off the pills," Lydia told me last week. "My kids are teenagers now, they're a big help at home, they even empathize. They want me to get help. I want help. What I want is enough help to stop using, live my life free from the pills for good."

Lydia's goal is to go back to her job as human resource director in the next few weeks and to get a referral to a nearby facility that offers longer-term options she would otherwise be unable to afford. "By paying all these premiums over the years I've been investing for just this moment," she said. "It's time I get what I deserve from my insurance."

There are exceptions to the new law. Companies with fewer than 50 employees are exempt. Also, companies that don't already provide such coverage are not required to do so. But because most already have a least a basic benefit for mental illness and addiction, the law is expected to vastly expand the number of employees who are covered.

The key, according to Ramstad and other experts, is for consumers like Lydia to understand their rights under the new law, not to give in or give up if their insurance won't equitably cover treatment services. That will take time and effort. But for Lydia and people like her, the time to take action is now. The stakes are high. So, too, are the rewards.

William Moyers is the vice president of foundation relations for the Hazelden Foundation and the author of "Broken," his best-selling memoirs, and "A New Day, A New Life." Please send your questions to William Moyers at wmoyers@hazelden.org. To find out more about William Moyers and read his past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.