Lawmakers push for better treatment of addiction

~ Jason Schwartz

Jim Ramstad and Patrick Kennedy are starting another push for parity. The legislation has been introduced every year since 2001. In order to build enough support to pass, they drop the substance abuse provisions and limit the bill to mental health care. It has enough votes to pass, but House of Representatives leadership won’t allow a vote. Hopefully the changes in house leadership will create an opening.

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Published by Jason Schwartz

I have been an addiction professional and social worker since 1994. I started blogging in 2005 as the Clinical Director at Dawn Farm. I currently serve as the Director of Social Work and Spiritual Care for a healthcare system. I've also served as the Director of Behavioral Health at another hospital. I'm also a lecturer at Eastern Michigan University’s School of Social Work. Views expressed here are my own. Keep in mind that the field, the contexts in which the field operates, and my views have changed over time.

2 thoughts on “Lawmakers push for better treatment of addiction”

  2. Since taking office, Bush has indicated that he would sign a parity bill but hasn’t invested any political capital in making it happen. For the last several years, there have been enough votes to pass the bill, but the congressional leadership would not allow a vote on the bill. The new leadership has indicated that there will be a vote on it, we’ll see. It doesn’t appear to be a high priority. As far as funding goes. He’s created a new program, Access to Recovery, but I don’t think it created new treatment money. Right now the funding landscape has shifted pretty dramatically: http://www.jointogether.org/news/features/2007/bushs-budget-plan-cuts.html

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