Affordable Health Care America Act Signed Today

Doug Mills/The New York Times

"We have just now enshrined, as soon as I sign this bill, the core principle that everybody should have some basic security when it comes to their health care," President Obama declared.

A big day in Washington D.C. and a monumental day for the nation, as we move forward towards affordable health care and the removal of pre-existing conditions which, for years, has kept millions of people uninsured. Today, Obama, armed with pen, signed his health care overhaul; this bill is, perhaps, the biggest act of social legislation in decades. Obama used twenty pens in the signing of the Affordable Health Care for America Act, which he planned to pass out as tokens to key lawmakers. The Affordable Health Care Act has been a dream for many politicians for 40 years, starting with the late Senator Ted Kennedy in 1970 when he introduced the idea to provide national health insurance. In the audience, Representative Patrick Kennedy of Rhode Island (perhaps one of the most important players in the quest for this health bill), held his father's original bill from 1970 which he gifted to Obama with a personal message inside.

Passed by the House on Sunday night by a vote of 219-212, the bill will provide coverage to the estimated 30 million people who do not have it, as well as:

• require most Americans to have health insurance coverage
• add 16 million people to the Medicaid rolls
• would subsidize private coverage for low- and middle-income people
• cost the government about $938 billion over 10 years
• estimated that the bill would reduce the federal deficit by $138 billion over a decade

The battle is far from over and there will be many who are not happy about the signing of this bill. There are always two sides to every argument and there will be a lot more said about this subject before any recognizable changes can be seen within our health care system. No longer will Americans be disenfranchised regarding their health care. In the recovery community countless people will be able to get health insurance for the first time. This bill will have lasting effects perhaps unlike anything seen since the 30's regarding social legislation. We will be following this story.

"Our presence here today is remarkable, and improbable: with all the punditry, all of the lobbying, all of the game-playing that passes for governing in Washington, it's been easy at times to doubt our ability to do such a big thing, such a complicated thing; to wonder if there are limits to what we as a people can still achieve." -President Obama-

Patrick Kennedy Will Step Down

Congressman Patrick Kennedy with his late father, Senator Ted Kennedy

"Going forward I will continue many of the fights we waged together, particularly on behalf of those suffering from depression, addiction, autism and post-traumatic stress disorder," Kennedy said in a quote drawn from the video by AFP.

Patrick Kennedy, son of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, will step down and not seek a ninth term in the House of Representatives. Patrick Kennedy is an ambitious statesman who made the suffering his first priority; his work set the ball in motion for serious health care reform. Patrick struggled for years with drugs and alcohol as well as being diagnosed with a debilitating bipolar disorder. When Patrick found sobriety four years ago he made it his personal mission to completely reform health care in America. Kennedy thanked Rhode Island voters for their continued support despite his dealings with addiction. "When I made missteps or suffered setbacks, you responded not with contempt, but compassion. Thank you for all the times you lifted me up, pushed me forward and filled my heart with hope".

In 2008, Kennedy founded and heads up, the Congressional Addiction, Treatment and Recovery Caucus; he worked hand and hand with Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici in the creation of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act. Kennedy, in short, has become the voice of the addiction community in a number of ways; he has battled to help the disenfranchised at every opportunity.

Retired Rep. Jim Ramstad (R-Minn.), commented on Kennedy's decision to step down, "a huge loss for people with mental illness and addiction, as Patrick Kennedy was their greatest champion in Washington". Ramstad co-sponsored the House version of the parity bill; he understands better than most the caliber of statesmen that Rhode Island and the whole nation will be losing. There are many United States citizens that suffer from the disease of addiction, in many ways, it takes an addict to understand an addict; there are not many politicians who have the back of the addicted and mentally disabled. During his career, Patrick Kennedy fought for reforms in: health care, juvenile justice, the parity bill, and he secured the channeling of more federal funding for addiction programs.

"Patrick's courageous admissions of his own struggles with bipolar disease and alcoholism have helped reduce the stigma of these diseases, and his personal recovery has been a great inspiration to many people. Were Patrick Kennedy's uncle, President Kennedy, still alive and were President Kennedy to write a sequel to Profiles in Courage, his nephew Patrick would occupy a full chapter", said Ramstad.

"You Cannot Separate The Mind And The Body"

"You cannot separate the mind and the body", said Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I. People in need of mental health care may finally get the help they need. Insurance companies have always provided the least amount of coverage for mental health and substance abuse patients. Countless people have been denied coverage for mental health related problems, to the point where people have come to accept that that is the way it is. With the help of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy and his son, Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., politicians were able to get the parity bill on to the Wall Street bailout package in September 2008. While the entire nation was preoccupied with the presidential election and the economy, the bill was passed without anyone even noticing. Starting Jan. 1, 2010 large group health insurance plans that provide mental health coverage must provide the same level of coverage at the same price as physical and surgical coverage; the new law only applies to group health plans which cover 50 or more. This is the beginning of a very significant change in the way health care is provided. "This is a major piece of civil right's health care legislation," the younger Kennedy told an audience honoring him and Ramstad at Mar-a-Lago last year according to the Palm Beach Post.

Just as with any new bill, there is still a lot that hasn't been worked out, such as the guideline for how the new law will be implemented. Companies that offer mental heath care with their package may choose to drop mental health coverage all together rather then be burdened with the new law. Nobody knows if student health care plans and employee assistance plans fall under the umbrella of this bill or not. Naturally, if insurance companies have to provide equal coverage, the cost of coverage will increase; heightened costs may be unaffordable for a significant amount of employers, forcing them to drop coverage all together.

Despite the kinks that still need to be worked out this is a big step and providing patients what they need and deserve. Routinely, those in need of drug and alcohol treatment have been denied coverage by the health care provider. For too long mental health patients have slipped through the cracks - not any more!

Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy Died

The world lost another great man this week, a man who had traits that we could all hope to have. In May of 2008 Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy (February 22, 1932 - August 25, 2009) was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor which limited his appearances in the Senate. He died on August 25, 2009, at his home in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. According to Wikipedia, "Kennedy played a major role in passing many laws, including laws addressing immigration, cancer research, health insurance, apartheid, disability discrimination, AIDS care, civil rights, mental health benefits, children's health insurance, education and volunteering. In the 2000s, he led several unsuccessful immigration reform efforts. At the time of his death, he was continuing to work on universal health care legislation, which is often described as his 'life's work'".

Ted Kennedy was the champion of many great causes in the United States; the mistakes he made in his early life are now overshadowed by his great deeds. Over the years, it has been said, Teddy had his struggles with alcohol, as did his son Patrick Kennedy; both of them fought for the rights of addicts as well as the rights of all. We owe a lot to the Kennedys for the legislative changes they were responsible for during their lifetimes; our younger generations are truly not aware of most of their great deeds. The blood, sweat, and tears that the Kennedy family gave and is still giving is absolutely amazing and something to marvel over!

Representative Patrick Kennedy (RI) has been a champion for the cause of alcoholics and addicts; he himself suffers from Bi-Polar disorder and the disease of addiction. Patrick worked tirelessly for the bill HR1424 (known as the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008) and it was finally passed in 2008 as part of Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. The bill ensures that people who suffer from the disease of addiction and mental disorders can get a fair shake from their insurance companies. According to then Republican Senator Pete Domenici of New Mexico: "This bill targets insurance plans that cover more than 50 employees. About 113 million people, we figure, are in group insurance plans that have, as part of their health care, mental health coverage. All of those, now, will have imposed on their insurance policy by operation of law that the insurance company will pay for mental health treatment in exactly the same way they cover physical ailments — the same amount of days in the hospital, the same amount of co-pay, and all the other technical words will be equal. And that's not what it used to be, and not what it is today. Insurance companies were already moving in that direction, but now we've made it so they can't slide backwards"(Time.com).

I encourage everyone to watch this video of Rep. Patrick Kennedy testifying concerning mental health parity at a House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions hearing on July 10, 2007. This is a powerful video and it helps to clarify the "disease of addiction." I look forward to hearing your thoughts.