NAMI HelpLine
Legal Advocacy Project Established to End Barriers to Care for Millions

Nov 5, 1997

The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) today announced the establishment of a first-of-a-kind center that will push for timely and effective treatment for the estimated 2.2 million individuals with severe psychiatric disorders who don't get care when they most need it.

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Survey Shows Nation’s Businesses Preparing to Make Insurance Discrimination A Thing of the Past

Oct 23, 1997

The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) today released a survey of American businesses indicating little resistance by employers to comply with The Mental Health Parity Act of 1996. Special interest lobbyists are attempting to influence the White House to weaken the law just ten weeks before it is scheduled to take effect.

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Mental Health Parity Act of 1996 Threatened by Backdoor Maneuver

Oct 21, 1997

With less than three months before landmark legislation ending insurance discrimination against mental illnesses takes effect, lack of political will threatens to undermine this important first step toward fair treatment of people with serious brain disorders.

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Texas Lawmaker Appointed To NAMI Board

Oct 9, 1997

A state legislator from Texas, one of the country's leading advocates for fair and equitable treatment of serious mental illnesses, has been appointed to the board of directors of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI).

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Managed Care Puts Millions With Severe Mental Illness at Risk, Landmark Study Reveals

Sep 17, 1997

Managed care fails to make the grade in providing adequate care for persons with mental illness in publicly funded programs, according to a national report card released today by the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI).

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National Report Card To Show Managed Care Shortcomings

Sep 11, 1997

The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) will release the results of a survey assessing how well managed care organizations are treating persons with severe mental illnesses.

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NAMI Blasts Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating for Veto of Insurance Parity Bill as Anti-Family and Anti-Taxpayer

Jul 31, 1997

The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) blasted Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating for his veto of HB 1077, which would have required Oklahoma insurance companies to offer equal overage for mental illness to the same extent as for other physical illnesses.

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Nearly 40 Percent Of Older Suicide Victims See Doctor During Week Before Killing Themselves

Jul 25, 1997

Suicide rates in older persons are on the rise and, yet, symptoms of depression are rarely recognized and treated in this population, reports the current issue of the Decade of the Brain, a quarterly science-based publication of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI). As many as nine out of ten older persons who have depression do not get treatment for this disorder.

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NAMI Praises Senate in Landmark Move to End Discrimination Against Children with Severe Mental Illnesses

Jun 24, 1997

The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) today applauded passage of a Senate amendment designed to ensure that health plans offered to children as part of a new federal program do not discriminate against children with severe mental illnesses.

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NAMI Applauds Governor Bush and Texas Legislature For Ending Insurance Discrimination in Coverage For Severe Mental Illness

Jun 23, 1997

The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) today praised Texas Governor George Bush and Texas lawmakers for taking a stand against insurance discrimination. HB 1173, signed into law by the Governor on Friday, requires insurance companies to provide insurance parity, coverage for brain disorders on par with other physical illnesses.

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NAMI HelpLine is available M-F, 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. ET. Call 800-950-6264,
text “helpline” to 62640, or chat online. In a crisis, call or text 988 (24/7).