Wednesday, October 22, 2008

A Silver Lining

The crazy financial things that have been going on in our country lately have caused some concern for all of us. Luckily, Dan and I don't have any stocks (or retirement money saved or anything of that matter) so it wasn't that big of a deal, but I know it is for so many of you. I also know the $700 billion rescue plan has affected all of us. Did you know the Times Square National Debt clock has run out of digits to keep track of our debt? Wow...

Anyway, in light of all that, there is some good news! With the bill, the Mental Health Parity Act also passed.

This article explains it better than I can:

"When Congress approved the $700 billion rescue plan, it also passed one of the most significant mental-health bills in U.S. history — the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008. It requires group insurance plans to cover mental illnesses the same way as physical ones (no more higher co-pays, deductibles and limits on hospital stays). For more than a decade, Senator Peter Domenici pioneered the fight for such legislation. Last year, the 76-year-old Republican announced he suffers from a degenerative brain disease and would not seek another term. One of his final votes led to the bill's long-awaited passing. "

This is good news for me, as a future psychologist. And it's good news for all you, because you get mental health services if you need them!

1 comment:

Dan said...

technically thats not true. i do save through a 401k like savings vehicle at work. (for all of you who are worried about our retirement fund)