Federal Parity Update 10/20/07 Recent developments on the federal parity bill front appear to have the House of Representatives and the Senate headed for a showdown that should ultimately lead to a conference committee later this fall to resolve differences between the two bills. The Senate passed their bill (S558) a couple of months ago and the House version (HR-1424) was marked up out of its third and final committees this week. The HR bill is expected to reach the floor for a Full House vote in the coming weeks, (by sometime in November 2007) at the latest. Some significant differences remain between the two bills including what disorders/illnesses will be covered with the house asking for a comprehensive slate as outlined in Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM-IV) of Mental and Nervous Disorders. Meanwhile the Senate version would give insurers the ability to determine what gets covered. LIRA believes this would be w disastrous outcome. Other disparities include opposing views on providing an out of network benefit option. LIRA continues to support the House version (HR-1424) and we strongly oppose any bill that would allow insurance companies to pick and choose what to cover. For too long addictive illnesses have been ignored to a large extent and we are confident that at some point some representatives will attempt to remove addiction treatment coverage altogether. Furthermore we fully embrace the idea that taking the individual decisions out of the hands of insurance companies is best practice by reinforcing that treatment should be client driven and not dollar driven. Please contact your Congressional representatives and both Jim Ramstad & Patrick Kennedy and urge them to remain steadfast on addiction treatment benefits and to oppose any concession that gives insurers control over coverage's. We anticipate a spirited debate once the anticipated conference committee convenes and it is crucial to protect the rights and needs of chemically dependent people and their family members.