[Timothy's Team] Timothy's Team Update - E-mail Governor Pataki to show your support for Timothy's Law

[Michael Seereiter]

Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin gets it right - E-mail Governor Pataki to
show your support for Timothy's Law.  

See below.

 

 

IN THE NEWS: 

 

Send governor a face he'll remember

Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin                    September 24, 2006

 

Ever tried a chocolate-covered insect?

Me neither. That'll be our secret. I was supposed to eat one as part of my
job as a judge for the "Men Who Cook" fundraiser held recently in
Binghamton, an event that supports the Mental Health Association of the
Southern Tier. It was a jovial and delicious evening, during which I and the
other judges were required (poor us) to sample dishes made by more than 20
local male chefs. My excuse for avoiding the insectoid bonbons was that I
could tell by SIMPLY LOOKING that they were delicious.

There were beaucoup other wonderful dishes to eat -- but there was also a
wonderful moment that took place at the event. That was when Tom O'Clair, a
burly, bearded man in coveralls, approached the microphone. He told the
story of his son, Timothy, whose face is tattooed on his beefy bicep.

Timothy loved to fish, camp, bowl and build things. And he committed suicide
just before his 13th birthday.

Look at his face, posted on the Web site www.timothys law.org and you may
have the same reaction I did: What a waste. What a beautiful boy. What a
tragedy.

Timothy O'Clair didn't have to die. His family knew he had a serious problem
but their medical insurance, obtained through Tom's job for the New York
State Thruway Authority, did not cover sufficient mental health care,
particularly in-hospital treatment.

On Sept. 15, one day after Tom O'Clair told his story and served up his
barbecue (yes, he also was one of the "men who cook"), the New York Senate
passed Timothy's Law, which eliminates discriminatory and unequal insurance
coverage for mental health and substance abuse services.

"This is a huge victory," said Susan A. Wheeler, president of the board of
directors for the Mental Health Association of the Southern Tier. The law,
she points out, will save everyone money, including small businesses, as the
$1.26 cost per insured person per month is far less than the cost to the
employer of one employee missing one day of work.

But the battle isn't over -- Gov. George E. Pataki is expected to veto
Timothy's Law.

My feeling is if he just opens the Web page and looks at that face, he just
might change his mind. So I had this idea: If everyone who reads this column
e-mails Gov. Pataki a link to that Web page -- the one showing Timothy's
face -- maybe he, too, could see the importance of Timothy's Law, a ray of
hope in the darkness of mental health coverage. Maybe our governor will make
that connection -- that this could have been his child, anyone's child. That
mental health problems do not discriminate, although the laws that concern
their insurance coverage do.

Governors have to please a lot of people. They have to please big
corporations, too. One would hope that every now and then they make a
decision without worrying about who they please but because it is the right
thing to do.

E-mail Gov. Pataki through  <http://161.11.121.121/govemail>
http://161.11.121.121/govemail, or by mail to Gov. George E. Pataki, State
Capitol, Albany, N.Y. 12224.

Send him Timothy's face.

And tell everyone you know to do the same. Timothy's story should not
repeat. Nobody should be refused mental health treatment because insurance
companies say no.

 

 

Extend help to mentally ill 
Poughkeepsie Journal Editorial                       September 21, 2006

 

Getting New Yorkers the care they need, regardless of whether they're
suffering mentally or physically, is the aim of a bill awaiting approval by
the state Legislature. Lawmakers need to quickly approve it and the governor
should sign it into law.

The legislation, known as Timothy's Law, requires parity in insurance
coverage between mental illness and other health problems. Private insurance
policies in the state currently limit coverage provided for mental health
and substance abuse services or require additional co-payments from the
insured.

The bill is named for Timothy O'Clair, of Schenectady, who hanged himself at
age 12 after suffering for years from mental illness. His parents struggled
to find the proper treatment and services for the boy. They even
relinquished custody of their son to get him treatment paid for by Medicaid,
unable to afford the costly care on their own.

The two houses of the Legislature reached an agreement on the bill at the
end of the regular legislative session in June, but didn't have time to vote
on it. The Senate approved the bill at a special session Friday. The
Assembly has not yet committed to returning this year to vote on the bill,
but has passed similar measures for several years.

The legislation is long overdue and will bring New York in line with many
other states. For years, much of the opposition arose from concerns of the
costs to small-business owners. The compromise included protections for
companies with fewer than 50 employees by having the state absorb any
increases in premiums. Many supporters of the plan expect the cost of
providing the additional insurance coverage will be more than offset by
savings from lost productivity and expensive crisis care.

The state needs to act soon to make this necessary change.

Coping with and treating mental illness is difficult enough. Problems should
not be compounded by having to struggle to get adequate insurance coverage.

 

 

Assembly will pass Timothy's Law: Silver

The Business Review (Albany)             September 22, 2006

 

The speaker of the New York state Assembly says his chamber will stick by
its agreement with the state Senate to pass the health-care policy mandate
known as "Timothy's Law." 

Sheldon Silver (D-N.Y.) said passage of the bill may have to wait until
after the first of the year. 

The state Senate last week approved the bill, which requires coverage of
mental health conditions for employers and their dependents. The Senate had
promised to do so under a deal it reached with the Assembly on the last day
of the regular legislative session in June. 

Silver said he will follow through on the deal. 

"The next time we are in session we will effectuate that agreement, whether
it's the end of the year or the beginning of next year," he said. 

The Senate dropped its opposition to the mandate bill after the Assembly
agreed to remove mandated coverage for drug and alcohol treatment. The
Assembly also agreed to make the new coverage requirement a temporary
program that will be revisited in two years to see how effective it has
been. 

The bill also requires the state to make about $60 million available
annually to offset insurance cost increases for businesses employing fewer
than 50 employees. 

Gov. George Pataki threw supporters of the bill for a loop last week when he
contradicted Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno (R-Brunswick), who said
Pataki had pledged to him to sign "Timothy's Law" if the bill reached his
desk. 

"I do not recall that conversation," Pataki said. 

The governor promised only to "take a look" at the legislation if it is
approved by both chambers of the Legislature. 

If the Assembly waits until after the New Year to pass the bill, it would go
to a different governor. Democrat Eliot Spitzer, the frontrunner in the race
for governor against Republican John Faso, is thought to support the health
care coverage mandate. 

The bill is named for Timothy O'Clair, a Schenectady boy who committed
suicide at age 12 in 2001. His family struggled for years to get treatment
for him paid for through private medical insurance.

 

 

Timothy's Law awaits another Assembly vote

Legislative Gazette                 September 25, 2006

By Amy Burger

 

Supporters of Timothy's Law are now waiting to see if the Assembly will
reconvene for a special session to pass a mental health insurance parity
bill recently adopted by the Senate.

"The Assembly is committed to passing the Timothy legislation as soon as it
can, when it can," said Bryan Franke, spokesman for Assembly Speaker Sheldon
Silver, D-Manhattan, when asked if the Assembly would be called back for a
special session.

While Silver has not announced a special session, Franke made it very clear
the Assembly had "every intention to pass that law."

The Senate and Assembly reached a compromise on Timothy's Law on the last
day of the 2006 regular legislative session that would provide parity in
insurance coverage for adults and children suffering from mental health
illnesses. That compromise was the basis for the bill passed by the Senate
on Sept. 15.

Matt Beebe, a spokesman for Assemblyman Paul Tonko, D-Amsterdam, who is
sponsoring the legislation, said that the compromise bill was not everything
the Assembly had hoped for. 

The Assembly had hoped to include provisions for treating alcohol and drug
abuse as mental health care needs.

Beebe also commented on the possibility of the Assembly coming back for a
special session to pass Timothy's Law in 2006, saying, "Probably - but we
just don't know yet."

After the suicide of 12-year-old Timothy O'Clair on March 16, 2001,
Timothy's parents, Tom and Donna O'Clair, became strong advocates to end
discrimination against mental health patients by the health care insurance
industry.

Timothy's Law has been passed repeatedly by the Assembly since the boy's
death. But the bill, due to what Timothy's Law supporters call "legislative
gridlock," has never made it to the governor's desk.

The bill also faced opposition from the insurance industry, which warned the
legislation would result in increased rates for all.

"Today is a landmark day for New Yorkers suffering with mental illness and
disorders," said Tom O'Clair, at a press conference on Sept. 15, the day the
Senate passed Timothy's Law. "It's a wonderful testament to what the
Legislature can accomplish when they work together and a heartfelt tribute
to Timothy. I thank the Senate and look forward to the Assembly's return so
they can pass it as well."

Paige Pierce, executive director of Families Together and a co-chair of the
Timothy's Law Campaign, said she is confident the Assembly will return to
session this year and pass the law.

"We view the Assembly as our allies," she said. "We have a lot of faith
they're going to come back this year and get it done."

The legislation would mandate all insurance companies provide at least 30
inpatient days and 20 outpatient visits for mental health care. Co-payments
for mental heath services will also be the same as co-payments for physical
health needs.

The O'Clair's health insurance, like many Americans', only covered 20
outpatient visits a year for a psychologist and psychiatrist combined. Their
physical and mental health co-payments began at $10 a visit; the mental
health care co-pay increased to $35 every visit.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, more than 50 million
American Adults suffer from a mental disorder; and one in five children
suffer from behavioral, emotional or mental health problems.

If adopted, the law would be effective from Jan. 1, 2007 until Dec. 31,
2009, at which time the law could be amended and improved if necessary.

 
 
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