3/23/07 Vol. 4 No. 6

WE DID IT!

Great news! The mental health parity bill, Engrossed House Bill (EHB) 1460, has passed the Washington State Legislature by large bipartisan majorities. The Senate voted 41 to 3 in favor of parity and the House vote was 75 to 22!

Contact the Governor! We urge everyone to contact Governor Christine Gregoire and ask her to sign the mental health parity bill when it reaches her desk. Please email her on her website at www.governor.wa.gov/contact/default.asp or call her at (360) 902-4111. Be sure to thank her for her past support of parity and let her know you look forward to ending insurance discrimination against people living with a mental illness in Washington State.

Suggested message:

Dear Governor Gregoire:

Thank you for supporting and signing into law the 2005 mental health parity bill. Please do all the state can do to end insurance discrimination against people living with a mental illness by signing EHB 1460, the 2007 mental health parity bill, into law. It is time employees of small businesses and individuals purchasing health policies have equal insurance coverage for mental health services as for other health services.

“Thank you!” Thank you to those who forwarded our Action Alerts! to your contacts and to those of you who emailed/called the Senators and Representatives. A special “thank you” to the entire volunteer lobbyist team who worked on the mental health parity bill.

Spread the Good News!Please be sure to transmit this Action Alert! to everyone in your email network. Pleaselet Chelene Alkire (chelenea@wsha.org) know by reply email when you have emailed or called the Governor and forwarded our request to your contacts. Thanks again for all your help and support!

If you have any questions about the coalition or the parity bill, please contact Chelene Alkire at (206) 216-2545 or by email at chelenea@wsha.org, or contact me at randyr@wsha.org.

Randy Revelle, Chairman