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Action Alert Mental Health Parity | Rally Fact Sheet | Parity Rally Pictures |Birkel Call to Rally

CALL TO RALLY ON MENTAL HEALTH PARITY
by Richard Birkel
Executive Director, NAMI National

TO: NAMI Members in VA, DC, MD, PA, WV, DE, NJ, OH, KY, NYS, NYCM, and CT

FROM: Rick Birkel, Executive Director, NAMI national

DATE: June 6,2002

RE: Federal Parity Rally at the U.S. Capitol

You are invited to join other NAMI members, NAMI staff, and NAMI leaders at a rally for federal parity at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, June 6th at 12:00 noon.

The purpose of this rally is to demonstrate our strong support for S 543, the Domenici-Wellstone mental health parity bill and for HR 4066, the Roukema-Kennedy mental health parity bill, Senate and House versions of identical bills.

If passed into law, these bills will strengthen current federal law and finish the work that Congress began five years ago with the Mental Health Parity Act of 1996. It will extend to most Americans equitable insurance coverage of mental illnesses already available to federal employees and to members of Congress under the Federal Employees Health Benefit Plan (FEHBP), the insurance benefit available to federal employees. These bills will require health insurance plans to end discriminatory treatment limitations or financial requirements that create barriers to mental health recovery.

NAMI has joined forces with the members of the Washington-based coalitions, the
Mental Health Liaison Group and the Fairness Coalition, to organize this rally. Both
coalitions include NAMI, the National Mental Health Association, the American
Psychiatric Association, the Psychiatric Nurses Association, and other organizations.

NAMI national staff members are working with your NAMI state offices to arrange for buses to transport you to Washington for this rally if logistics and interest allow. Without you, the rally will be meaningless. WITH YOU, we will put Congress and the President on notice that the time for parity is now! In addition to the rally, NAMI national staff members are working with your NAMI state offices to schedule visits with your U.S. Senators and Representatives while NAMI members are at the Capitol.

Please see the attached flyer for the logistics and information on the parity rally at the
U.S. Capitol. For additional information concerning the rally and for the latest updates,
visit the NAMI website at www.nami.org . For information concerning your state
NAMI's plans to support participation in the rally, please contact your state office namipa.nami.org .
General questions can be directed to Marie Wyffels (rnarie@nami.org or via phone at
703-516-7978).

We look forward to seeing you on June 6th!

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