Well, We Did It!

I got to work early to put on WQUN to listen to the Inauguration. In a surprising turn of events, my boss, who was out of town until today, will not be back until tomorrow. With only half a file left, tissues in hand, I took the headphones out of my transcription machine and plugged them into my computer. Then I went to CNN.

CNN had a brain fart, so I F5'd. I got kicked out: too many people were on CNN, and I had to "wait for a spot." I went to NBC/MSNBC. By this time I was already crying and coughing in a most unladylike manner.

Unfortunately, MSNBC kept stuttering when Vice President Joe Biden was sworn in, and I finally went back to the radio to hear President Barack Obama sworn in.

When he gave his speech to us, I moved from my desk and stood in the sunlight.

I kept the video on, with my radio in the background, and saw the sea of people covered in lavender.

Lavender is what you get when you swing a red, white, and blue flag with glee. (Is glee something like peanut butter?)

And when you've got a camera focused on a section of half a million Americans with half a million American flags, you've got a sea of lavender.

It sure looked pretty. I was glad I'd worn red, white, and blue today.


Lee Greenwood's "Proud To Be An American" was on the radio when I drove to work. I'd have stood if I could. I cried when I stood for America. (And I loved Aretha Franklin's hat!!)

What a glorious day. I hope that President Obama has a good sleep, because we're sure gonna need him tomorrow.

The horrid story about the poor owl was the only bad thing all day. I hope it was like that for everyone else.

One of my favorite blogs shares great quotes from the author's vast book collection. Since there are, so very often, poignant lines in the books I read, I have decided to steal the idea from him. The following is actually from a television transcript, but it's BY an author, so I think it fits.

"I guess it doesn't make any different once a man is gone. Medals and speeches and victories are nothing to them anymore. They died and others lived, and nobody knows why it's so. There's nothing we can do for the ones beneath wooden crosses, except perhaps to pause and murmur, Thanks, Pal."
- Ernie Pyle, WWII Journalist, via History Detectives:
Episode 4, Ernie Pyle’s Typewriter, Albuquerque, NM Bloomington, IN and Portland, OR

Ernie Pyle died on April 18, 1945, as a result of "machine gun fire from an enemy machine gun nest," riddled "with some 40 gunshot wounds." He was 45 years old.

His writing from the perspective of "the common soldier" won him the Pulitzer in 1944.

Thanks, pal.

Taken directly from the U.S. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association. All links last checked 3/25/2007. Please check links before cross posting!!

Parity means equality. Let's see mental health get the same treatment as other illnesses, by our insurance companies.

On March 7, 2007, Reps. Patrick Kennedy and Jim Ramstad introduced the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act, designated as H.R. 1424, with 254 of their colleagues as original cosponsors. Their goal is to continue building support in the House and work towards committee action and Floor consideration this fall, and they welcome your assistance.

This bill expands the Mental Health Parity Act of 1996 by requiring group health plans that offer benefits for mental health and addiction to do so on the same terms as care for other diseases. The legislation closes the loopholes that allow plans to charge higher co-payments, coinsurance, deductibles, and maximum out-of-pocket limits and impose lower day and visit limits on mental health and addiction care.

Last month, The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee approved similar legislation, The Mental Health Parity Act of 2007, sponsored by Senators Kennedy (D-MA), Domenici (R-NM), and Enzi (R-WY). Among the differences is that the House bill, informed by the sponsors' forums across the country, requires health plans offering mental health benefits to cover the same mental health and addiction disorders that are included in the health plans Members of Congress use. The Senate bill has no such provision. The bills also differ in how they impact related state laws.

The Kennedy-Ramstad legislation is modeled after the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program, which covers Members of Congress and other federal workers and dependents and which implemented equality in mental health and addiction coverage in 2001. According to an exhaustive study published earlier this year by the Department of Health and Human Services, the federal employees' parity policy was implemented with "little or no increase in total MH/SA [mental health/substance abuse] spending".

USPRA is in support of both the Senate and House bills, with the goal of a final parity bill being crafted in joint conference. All members are encouraged to contact their Representative and ask them to vote “yes” to H.R.1424 and mental health parity. Go to the US House of Representatives Member Web Site Listing (by State) to find your Representative’s telephone, fax and contact information. You can also sign up to become a "citizen cosponsor" of the bill at www.equitycampaign.net.

SAMPLE LETTER
Date

The Honorable <First Name Last Name>
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Congressman <Last Name>:

As a victim of overpriced insurance, as a victim of mental illness, as the family member of someone with mental illness / As a psychiatric rehabilitation professional and constituent, on behalf of <agency name>, and the individuals served, and as a constituent (use whichever is appropriate) I am pleased to write in support of the "Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2007" (H.R. 1424) which amends the Mental Health Parity Act of 1996 to eliminate discriminatory provisions that erect obstacles to accessing care for Americans with mental health and addiction disorders. This new bill would provide mental health care coverage for over 113 million Americans and give full parity without limiting coverage to a narrow list of diagnoses. More importantly, this bill is essential to the recovery of individuals with psychiatric disabilities, many of whom currently find that they can longer receive necessary mental health care once they become competitively employed.

I strongly encourage you to vote to enact this Bill, which would improve the overall health and wellness of all Americans, as well as allow individuals with psychiatric disabilities to live more productive and fulfilling lives.

Sincerely,

Your Name

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For your convenience, here are links to contact your senators and your representatives. If you are a registered voter, I encourage you to add that under your name; let your Senators and Representatives know that this bill is supported by people who put them in office - and whose vote can take them out.