A lot of parents and families of alcoholics and addicts are patiently waiting for a mandate on SUD/MH (Substance use disorder/ mental health) treatment coming out of health care reform. After today’s election victory of Scott Brown it looks like the senate health bill may be in for some re-constructive surgery. I guess it is time to quit holding my breath for Health Net Insurance to cover SUD/MH in this family. Recovery is a tough row to hoe and it looks like we may have to plow through a lot more hard pan and black clay for some time to come. The American Society of Addiction Medicine did make a comparison of addiction issues in the hotly debated health reform bill. Here it is → January 5th , 2010 side by side comparison. All I can say is that America deserves this.
DadOnFire
On fire about the impact of addiction and need for solutions
DadOnFire 
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January 20, 2010 at 10:44 am
Barbara
I appreciate you keeping us informed. As I type this we are calling around to try and find an affordable rehab for someone who was told to be in a rehab by Friday or he goes back to prison. There is no such thing as an affordable rehab 😦
January 20, 2010 at 11:34 am
dadonfire
Barbara, We all know the frustration. Just yesterday, my son finally checked into a public funded detox unit (Compass Behavioral Health Service) and was turned away because of an insurance policy I maintain to buy insulin for him. The policy excludes substance SUD and most of MH. A private facility would work if he were wealthy. He could drop his insurance and have the state pay for detox, treatment and expensive co-occurring disorders as long as he remained a ward of the state, because a “pre-existing” diabetic can not re-instate or start a private insurance policy in this state. Why the state encourages him to drop his diabetes insurance can’t be good for taxpayers. A typical conundrum in the treatment and recovery world when it comes to affordability, bureaucracies, and insurance policies. As for public funded rehab; that’s another maze of frustration for him.