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<P class=MsoNormal
style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; tab-stops: 117.0pt 3.25in 4.75in"><SPAN
style="mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'">As the Senate and Assembly are
feverishly wrapping up the loose ends on a variety of issues before they leave
Albany for the summer (possibly to return at some later date in the year),
Timothy’s Law supporters are disappointed that our bill, that would prevent
tragedies like Timothy’s from happening to others, is not amongst those issues
being ironed out.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>While there was a
valiant effort put forth by members of the Timothy’s Law Campaign and supporters
from throughout the state in the last few days of session, our goal was not
realized, leaving millions of New Yorkers without the mental health and
addiction coverage they deserve.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'">This last
week of the Legislative Session proved to be quite a roller coaster of progress
and emotions for those present at the Capitol..<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>There were extreme highs when it looked
as though some version of parity legislation would become a reality and other
times when that reality stung us.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>The last minute rush all began late Friday when Assemblymember Paul Tonko
made a phone call to Senator Tom Libous.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>Assemblymember Tonko’s phone call prompted a visit to the Assembly
chamber by Senator Libous, which resulted in a productive conversation between
the two legislators where both expressed their desire to get something done for
individuals living with mental health and addiction
disorders.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'">As Monday
became Tuesday, and Tuesday became Wednesday, members of the Timothy’s Law
Campaign, under the leadership of the NYS Psychiatric Association’s
representatives, Richard Gallo and Karin Moran, entered into intense
negotiations with Senator Libous and members of the Senate Majority Leader’s
staff.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The efforts on the part of
all of these parties to reach some sort of agreement that would be worthy of
bearing Timothy’s name was impressive and noteworthy.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Significant chunks of 14+ hour days were
dedicated to this effort, but unfortunately met with no
success.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'">In the
Assembly, there were no discussions or negotiations in an effort to find common
ground with the Senate.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>On Monday,
the bill that the Assembly has passed for a number of years, and that the Senate
has refused to pass, A.2912, passed the Assembly once again, by a vote of 130-10
(</SPAN>Bacalles, Barclay, Barraga, Crouch, Fitzpatrick, Kolb, Nesbitt, Oaks,
O’Mara, Schimminger voted ‘no’).<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>Knowing how strongly Assemblymember Tonko and other members of the
Assembly believe in the concept behind Timothy’s Law, we look forward to working
with both sides later this year (if the Legislature returns) to negotiate a bill
worthy of bearing Timothy’s name.<o:p></o:p></P><PRE><o:p> </o:p><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><BR style="PAGE-BREAK-BEFORE: always" clear=all></SPAN></B></PRE><PRE><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'">WHAT’S THIS ALL ABOUT?<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></PRE>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'">The
dynamic at hand that has delayed the passage of Timothy’s Law for the past
several years is in the fact that there are two diametrical philosophical
beliefs held by the respective Majority parties in each house of the NYS
Legislature with regard to insurance coverage as it relates to small
businesses.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'">In the
Assembly, there is a deeply rooted belief that benefits or enhancement should be
available and cover everyone, and should not be made available exclusively to
one subset of people.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>With
Timothy’s Law, the Assembly’s Democratic Majority holds firm to a belief that
providing the employees of larger employers (50+ employees) with enhanced mental
health and addiction benefits without providing the same benefit to the
employees of large employers is simply discrimination. <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>So far, they have been unwilling to pass
a version of Timothy’s Law that does not cover the employees of small employers
equally to the employees of large employers.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'">In the
Senate, the Republican Majority in that house believes just as strongly that
small employers (less than 50 employees) are not capable of absorbing the cost
increase associated with any additional mental health and addiction
benefit.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Their concerns lie with
the impact that an onerous cost associated with a mental health and addiction
benefit enhancement could have on the ability of those business owners to
continue to afford health insurance for their employees.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>So far, they have been unwilling to pass
legislation that they believe will negatively impact small businesses and their
ability to continue to provide health insurance to their
employees.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'">Who’s
right?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The truth is that there are
legitimate concerns and points that both parties hold.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'">In the
mean time, as the politicking and posturing continues, there is a little girl in
Western New York who recently ran out of inpatient benefits and a man here in
the Capital District who took his own life on Tuesday.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Could they have been helped if insurance
restrictions on mental health and addiction services had been lifted?<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The answer is a resounding ‘YES’, but
still we have no law.</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'"></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><EM><SPAN style="mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'"><SPAN
class=001521619-24062005><FONT color=#0000ff size=2><FONT color=#000000
size=3>Thanks to everyone who called, wrote and e-mailed their legislators every
day in this last week of session. While we were unsuccessful in getting
Timothy's Law passed this year, your efforts got us closer to passage of
Timothy's Law than we've ever been
before. </FONT></FONT></SPAN></SPAN></EM></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><EM><SPAN style="mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'"><SPAN
class=001521619-24062005><FONT color=#0000ff size=2><FONT color=#000000
size=3><U>You are encouraged to weigh in with your elected representatives to
express your disappointment that Timothy's Law did not become reality this
year.</U></FONT></FONT></SPAN></SPAN></EM></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><EM><SPAN style="mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'"><SPAN
class=001521619-24062005></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style="mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'"><SPAN
class=001521619-24062005><FONT color=#0000ff size=2><FONT color=#000000
size=3>Stay tuned for future Timothy's Team e-mail updates and visit the
Timothy's Law website at </FONT><A href="http://www.timothyslaw.org"><FONT
color=#000000 size=3>www.timothyslaw.org</FONT></A><FONT color=#000000 size=3>
for the latest on the effort to enact mental health and addiction services
insurance parity. Continuing to work together, we will succeed
in ending this
discrimination.</FONT></FONT></SPAN></SPAN></EM></P></DIV></BODY></HTML>