Press Releases

NAMI Urges Pennsylvania To Remove Barriers To Medical Treatment
May 21 1998

NAMI calls on Pennsylvania Senate leaders to end insurance discrimination against people with mental illness and send the Patient Bill of Rights (Senate Bill 100) with the Gannon amendment attached to Governor Tom Ridge (R) without delay.

NAMI Congratulates Gov. Carper For Signing Equal Insurance Coverage Into Law
May 14 1998

Laurie Flynn, executive director of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI), congratulated Governor Thomas Carper (D) for signing House Bill 156 into law today, putting an end to insurance discrimination against thousands of people with mental illness in Delaware.

New Study Confirms Treatment Reduces Violence in Individuals with Major Psychiatric Disorders by Half
May 14 1998

A new study of violence by patients discharged from psychiatric hospitals conclusively demonstrates what many people have long suspected: treating individuals with major psychiatric disorders markedly reduces episodes of violent behavior.

Statewide Poll Shows 91 Percent Of New Yorkers Want To End Discrimination In Health Insurance Coverage
May 13 1998

A statewide telephone poll conducted by Zogby International shows that New Yorkers overwhelmingly agree that health insurance policies should treat mental health needs in the same way as other physical illnesses.

William T. Emmet to Join NAMI as Chief Operating Officer
May 13 1998

NAMI today announced the appointment of William Emmet as its chief operating officer. Emmet will join the organization on June 1, 1998, when he leaves his post as executive director of NAMI-Rhode Island and resigns as a member of NAMI’s board of directors.

NAMI Urges Massachusetts Legislators To Pass Health Insurance Parity Bill
May 12 1998

The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) today called for immediate and full passage of S2165, which would amend the Massachusetts insurance laws so that mental illness is covered in the same way as other biologically based diseases.

Behavioral Health Benefit Dollars Have Plummeted, New Study Finds
May 07 1998

The Hay Group study (Health Care Plan Design and Cost Trends: 1988 through 1997) is the first to look at what has happened to behavioral health care compared to general health care during the tumultuous period of the last ten years.

Mental Healthcare Benefits Erode Farther and Faster Than Thought Landmark Study
May 06 1998

The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI), the National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems (NAPHS), and the Association of Behavioral Group Practices (ABGP) will announce the findings of a landmark study demonstrating significant erosion of benefits for mental and addictive disorders over the past decade.

NAMI Praises Tennessee Legislature for Passing Parity Bill
Apr 27 1998

The Tennessee House and Senate rectified a great wrong on April 23 by unanimously passing HB 3177 which mandates that health insurance plans provide coverage for mental illnesses at the same level as physical illnesses.

NAMI Blasts Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating for Veto of State Parity Bill
Apr 24 1998

The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) today blasted Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating (R) for his veto of SB 1059, which would have required health insurance and health benefit plans for 50 or more employees to include coverage for severe mental illnesses equal to that of physical illnesses.