Yesterday I perused the tables of a neighboring conference and picked up a report on the Effects of The Vermont Mental Heath / Substance Abuse Parity Law published in 2003.
(background: the law went into effect in '98 and sought to require health insurers to cover mental health and substance abuse services on par with general medical and surgical services. At the time of the report, it was the most comprehensive parity law in the nation.)
I never paid much attention to MH/SA coverage, but what is of interest to me is how the analysts evaluated the parity law's effects (what their methodology was) and how to improve the law's effects.
Can't comment much, 'cause I've only started looking at the report. Will probably have to brush up on my statistics (namely, regression). But on cursory examination, it seems that the report is written for the cognoscenti. Not for a lay person, like me. Not enough detailed explanation for me to follow at times.
One report conclusion does strike me: that consumers need to be more aware of their MH/SA coverage. This is a time-honored problem, how to publicize. Was there any money budgeted for a publicity campaign?
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Upcoming: Vermont song recital
When: 21 June 05, noon
Where: Coolidge auditorium, Library of Congress
Who: Margaret MacArthur, singer and collector of traditional songs
info: (202) 707-5510
cost: free
and later that day, MM sings across town...
What: songs from VT, AZ, and CA (other?)
Where: Millennium stage, Kennedy Ctr.
Time: 6pm
cost: free