The National Association is Busy on The Hill, at The White House, and in The Courts

 

Thank you to NAATP members who took the opportunity to submit comments to the President's Parity Task Force. This is a critical opportunity to focus on what must happen to shape access to care for generations to come. Your response has been gratifying. We will communicate more as the recommendations are developed.

 

NAATP continues to engage in support of full funding for the recently passed Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act. Congress is in the process of determining how to pass federal government funding for all agencies. While it is unlikely that all agency appropriation bills will pass, that would be the best option. More likely, an Omnibus, which includes funding for all federal agencies wrapped into one bill, will be the best option. The last choice is a continuing resolution, which simply continues spending at existing levels for a specified time.

 

We will be asking you to contact your member of Congress with a focus on the Appropriations Committee members in the next few weeks. Passage of CARA was an important step for the field, but means little without adequate funding.

 

We want to acknowledge our close working relationship with DASPOP (Drug and Alcohol Service Providers Organization of Pennsylvania). Not only are they concentrating on precedent setting legal decisions focused on enforcement of the Parity Law, they also collaborate on many other issues of importance to NAATP members. We appreciate their involvement and support.

Mark Dunn, NAATP Policy Representative

Washington, DC