[Timothy's Team] Timothy's Team - Takin' It To The Streets!

Fri Mar 24 15:14:20 EST 2006

Takin' It To The Streets 

Dear Timothy's Law Supporters:

Presently, the NYS Legislature is working feverishly toward enactment of the
2006-07 budget by the April 1st deadline.  Shortly after that is finished,
all attention will then turn to legislation, and Timothy's Law must be at
the top of that priority list!  As you receive this, major plans are in the
works to demonstrate the widespread community and grassroots support for
Timothy's Law to ensure this becomes law in 2006.  

After years of legislative gridlock, the Timothy's Law Campaign is "Takin'
it to the Streets", as Michael McDonald once wrote, and we need everyone to
pitch in!  For the next few months, the fight for parity in insurance
coverage for mental health care and addiction treatment services will be won
through an all-out grass roots mobilization throughout New York State.
Local groups are already forming to plan media events, rallies, and voter
mobilization in communities from Long Island to Westchester, Queens to
Binghamton, and Rochester to Rockland.

This is the first in a series of regular updates from the Timothy's Law
Campaign to help coordinate the efforts of thousands of New Yorkers willing
to pitch in and help win Timothy's Law in 2006.

LETS START WITH THE BASICS:

1)                  Endorse Timothy's Law - First, if your local agency,
PTA, association, church, school, union, business, or trade association has
not yet done so, please be sure to endorse Timothy's Law.  It's easy - just
fax the Endorsement Form attached to this e-mail and found on the Timothy's
Law website at http://www.timothyslaw.org/endorsementform.pdf to Ruth Foster
at 518-434-6478.

2)                  Spread the Word - Second, encourage others you know to
support Timothy's Law.  One easy way to spread the word is to encourage
others to join Timothy's Team to receive these updates.  Anyone can sign up
by going to http://www.timothyslaw.org/ and clicking on Join Timothy's Team
(along the right hand side).  Timothy's Team will provide timely updates
about what is happening in the Campaign and what steps you can take to aid
in passing this landmark legislation.

3)                  Contact your State Senator today to let him/her know
that you are part of the fight for insurance parity in New York and that you
want the Senate to pass Timothy's Law (S.6735) right away.

.        You can reach your Senator by calling his/her district office phone
number.  A list of all NYS Senators and their contact information is
attached to this e-mail and can also be found at
http://www.timothyslaw.org/senators.pdf.  

.        You can also contact your Senator in their Albany office by calling
518-455-2800 and simply asking to be connected with your Senator's office.

.        E-mail your Senator by going to the Timothy's Law website
(www.timothyslaw.org <http://www.timothyslaw.org/> ) and clicking on E-mail
Your Legislator (along the right hand side).

.        Write a letter to your Senator (and fax Ruth Foster a copy at
518-434-6478).

If you're unsure about who your Senator is, go to
http://nymap.elections.state.ny.us/nysboe/.  In addition, a link to this
website is also found on the Timothy's Law website where you can Email Your
Legislator.

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS:

We need volunteers to step forward to help with activities in your local
community, activities in Albany, media work, voter mobilization, a statewide
bus tour, phone banking and other activities aimed at enacting Timothy's
Law.  In addition to the Volunteer Form (which is attached to this e-mail),
a number of useful items that will be helpful in organizing Timothy's Law
supporters throughout the state can be found at
http://www.timothyslaw.org/getinvolved.htm. 

TELL YOUR STORY:

As New York State has thus far failed to enact Timothy's Law, additional
families and individuals have experienced the impact of discrimination in
health insurance coverage, just like the O'Clair family.  We need those
families and individuals to come join the O'Clair family and many others in
sharing those stories.  If you have a personal story that you would be
willing to share about how coverage limits or excessive co-payments for
mental health and addiction treatment have caused hardship for you or your
family, please let us know.  New stories are a crucial component of making
Timothy's Law a reality in 2006.

Anyone with a story to share can contact either Ruth Foster at 518-432-0333
or rfoster at ftnys.org or Maryann White at 518-463-5612 or TL at cfthomeless.org.

PLANNED EVENTS:

At this point, we have firm plans for events to take place in two areas of
the state: 

A rally in support of Timothy's Law in Binghamton - April 21, 2006

Rallies in support of Timothy's Law in multiple locations on Long Island -
May 4, 2006

As details on these events become available, they will be posted on the
Timothy's Law website at http://www.timothyslaw.org/events.htm.  To get
involved with the planning for either of these events, please contact
Michael Seereiter at 518-434-0439 x221 or mseereiter at mhanys.org.

In the upcoming weeks and months, Timothy's Team updates will provide
information on coordinated campaign activities, share templates for this
year's postcard campaign, and a kick-off event in Albany.  In addition, as
information becomes available, it will be posted to the Timothy's Law
website at http://www.timothyslaw.org/events.htm.

Lawmakers will be hearing about Timothy's Law 2006 in their hometowns and
your efforts will make all the difference.  Thank you for your help in
helping to win passage of Timothy's Law in 2006.   We look forward to
working together with you!!!

Following below is a recent article on the passage of Timothy's Law in the
NYS Assembly.

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 Revived Timothy's Law Passes Assembly
North County Gazette, March 10, 2006

ALBANY---Timothy's Law, a mental-health parity bill aimed at ending
discrimination against mental-health care and addiction treatment by
insurance companies in New York State, has been passed by the state
Assembly. At a Capitol news conference, prior to the bill's passage, sponsor
Assemblyman Paul Tonko was joined by Assembly Insurance Committee Chair
Alexander "Pete" Grannis and Peter Rivera, chair of the Mental Health,
Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Committee as well as
mental-health-care advocates in urging the Senate also to approve the
measure this year. The legislators hailed the bill's goal of expanding the
limited mental- health-care and addiction-treatment insurance coverage
currently available to New Yorkers. 

The legislation is known as Timothy's Law, for Timothy O'Clair of Rotterdam
who took his own life five years ago, before his 13th birthday. Tom O'Clair,
Timothy's father, and other members of the O'Clair family also participated
in the news conference. They explained their painful loss and the suffering
they continue to experience because they lacked adequate health insurance
coverage required to access desperately needed treatment.

"Timothy's Law is a top priority for the 2006 legislative year. This bill
establishes the rights of those who need mental-health care or addiction
treatment so that these individuals will no longer be second-class citizens
in our health-insurance system," said Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.
"Mental-health parity has long been a major issue for the Assembly. We urge
the Senate to recognize the severity of this health-care crisis and quickly
follow our lead and pass this critical piece of legislation so that it
becomes law this year." 

"Each year health plans continue to cut back on coverage for mental-health
care and addiction treatment," said Tonko (D-Schenectady/Montgomery
counties). "Our parents, children, friends and family cannot continue to
stand by and watch insurance coverage for these treatments erode from year
to year. Most families can't afford to pay out-of-pocket for expensive care,
whether it be outpatient counseling, rehabilitation or inpatient care."

"It is time to end insurance discrimination against mental-health care and
addiction treatment in New York. Timothy's Law will accomplish that. We
should join the 35 other states that have adopted parity laws. I am
determined to see Timothy's Law enacted in 2006. Under Assemblyman Tonko's
leadership, this bill will pass the Assembly and get us one step closer to
ending the devastation experienced by so many New Yorkers and their
families," said Tom O'Clair, a tireless advocate of the bill. 

Tonko, Grannis and Rivera stressed the need to address this dire health-care
situation immediately. Their urgency was confirmed by several mental-health
advocates, who shared their first-hand experiences with insurance plans that
failed to cover much needed mental-health care and addiction-treatment
services.

"The experience of the state's own Empire Plan shows that it is possible to
offer a comprehensive mental-health benefit without busting the bank. It is
time to end the discrimination against mental illness," said Grannis
(D-Manhattan), who noted that comprehensive parity laws in other states have
not been accompanied by the often-feared increases in health-insurance
premiums.

"The need to extend full insurance coverage for mental-health services is
very evident. Most recently, Gov. Pataki has proposed screening 400,000 New
York children for mental illness. Without adequate insurance coverage, such
as that provided by Timothy's Law, these screenings are empty promises of
help for thousands of children, adults and families throughout our state
that will not be able to afford health services and treatment," said Rivera
(D-Bronx).

"My stepson, Chris, died last year after being denied treatment. He left
behind a family who loved him and many hopes and dreams for the future, such
as getting his GED and working in his father's union. Words can't say how
much we miss him. This is discrimination in its most deadly form," said Kim
Spicciatie, who spoke of her family's grief in the wake of losing a loved
one after having difficulties obtaining care for his mental-health and
substance-abuse problems. 

"In addition to being executive director of the National Alliance on Mental
Illness of New York State, I am also a family member of a loved one who
suffers from a mental illness - my wife. Last year, I spent almost $10,000
out-of-pocket for her medical care. After dealing with my HMO for many
months, I finally was reimbursed about $1,700 in October. That's 17 cents on
the dollar. If she had heart disease or diabetes, almost all of her medical
expenses would have been covered. It just isn't fair. Insurers should be
required to treat illnesses of the brain like illnesses of other parts of
the body," said David Seay, a member of the Timothy's Law Campaign Executive
Committee.

"My family gave up our house and moved in with my mother to be able to
afford the services that our son John needed. Mental health care is just
that-health care. It is medical treatment that can save the life of a child.
The financial sacrifices our family made were worth it because, thankfully,
John is now doing great. But I do wish we could have afforded to keep our
home and to take a family vacation like other families," said Diane Lang, a
mother from Long Island who told of the challenges she faced in obtaining
treatment for her son. 

Summing up for the family members and mental-health-care consumers, Paige
Pierce, executive director of Families Together in New York State and
co-chair of the Timothy's Law Campaign, called for the enactment of
Timothy's Law this year. "How many more tragedies will the families of New
York have to endure? Timothy's Law must become law in 2006," she insisted. 

Timothy's Law is supported by more than 320 state organizations united under
the Timothy's Law Campaign.

In 2004, a version of Timothy's Law was passed by the Senate but was never
referred to a conference committee.

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