Text: HR00032 Text: HR00034 Text: HR00000 - HR00099 Text: HR Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
PAG LIN
1 1 HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. ___
1 2 BY FORD
1 3 A Resolution supporting public policy changes so that
1 4 substance abuse treatment services have parity with
1 5 other services provided under public and private
1 6 health coverage.
1 7 WHEREAS, addictions to alcohol and other legal and
1 8 illegal substances are recognized by the American
1 9 Medical Association as chronic medical conditions just
1 10 as are asthma, hypertension, and diabetes; and
1 11 WHEREAS, health insurance benefits for substance
1 12 abuse treatment do not have parity with the benefits
1 13 available for treatment of other chronic medical
1 14 conditions; and
1 15 WHEREAS, studies show that the treatment approaches
1 16 used for substance abuse are as effective as, or more
1 17 effective than, the treatment approaches used for
1 18 other chronic medical conditions; and
1 19 WHEREAS, the need to address substance abuse is
1 20 especially significant to minorities; for example,
1 21 survey results from 2000 suggest that 6.4 percent of
1 22 African-Americans age 12 and up used an illegal drug
1 23 during the previous 30 days, and in 1999, non-Hispanic
1 24 African-Americans made up 12 percent of the nation's
1 25 general population but accounted for 23 percent of
1 26 admissions to publicly funded substance abuse
1 27 treatment facilities; and
1 28 WHEREAS, research by the Substance Abuse and Mental
1 29 Health Services Administration of the United States
1 30 Department of Health and Human Services indicates that
2 1 requiring comprehensive parity for substance abuse
2 2 treatment would increase family health insurance
2 3 premiums by approximately one percent annually; NOW
2 4 THEREFORE,
2 5 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
2 6 That implementation of comprehensive parity for
2 7 substance abuse treatment is a public policy priority
2 8 for the State of Iowa; and
2 9 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That comprehensive parity
2 10 should be achieved for private coverage by prohibiting
2 11 individual and group health insurance policies from
2 12 having terms, conditions, or benefit levels that place
2 13 a greater financial burden on an insured for provision
2 14 of substance abuse treatment than for treatment of a
2 15 medical, surgical, or other physical condition; and
2 16 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That comprehensive parity
2 17 should be achieved for public coverage by prohibiting
2 18 Medicare, Medicaid, and other government-funded or
2 19 government-sponsored health coverage programs from
2 20 having terms, conditions, or benefit levels that place
2 21 a greater financial burden on an insured for provision
2 22 of substance abuse treatment than for treatment of a
2 23 medical, surgical, or other physical condition; and
2 24 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Chief Clerk of the
2 25 House of Representatives shall transmit an official
2 26 copy of this resolution to the President of the United
2 27 States and the members of Iowa's congressional
2 28 delegation.
2 29 LSB 2560HH 80
2 30 jp/pj/5
Text: HR00032 Text: HR00034 Text: HR00000 - HR00099 Text: HR Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
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