Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Lobby Day a Huge Success!

The best word to describe Lobby Day this year was simply "amazing!" It was so wonderful to see so many new faces from different places around the country using their voices to make a difference. Oh what a difference they made and what a mark they left!

I was thrilled to have 12 representatives from Florida (including myself) on my team. We visited 5 Congressional offices (4 of which were new offices for our team). We had the opportunity to meet and greet with Congressman Robert Wexler, Congressman Ron Klein, Congressman Tom Rooney, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, as well as their amazing staffers. The members were really receptive to the FREED act and necessity of having a comprehensive eating disorders bill.

The day concluded with a very moving, emotional, and inspiring congressional briefing. The panelists were simply incredible. Greg Mar, Director of Business Management at Valenta Inc, spoke of abusive tactics, denials, and the impact on patient care and the necessity of care. Bruce Nagel, Nagel Rice, spoke of lessons from his successful class action lawsuit against Horizon Blue Cross/Blue Shield of New Jersey to cover claims for the treatment of eating disorders. Kathleen MacDonald, EDC Policy Assistant and an inspirational hero of mine, read Kari's story - a mother's account of the sad reality of eating disorders: A daughter dies when insurance fails to cover treatment. I am so appreciative to Kari's mother who was willing to share her daughter's battle with those of us in attendance. Hearing her story gave me even more motivation to keep using my voice. The briefing ended with an inspiring story from Danielle DeVille, an eating disorder survivor who spoke so eloquently about finally getting the treatment she needed and how she is living her life free of an eating disorder. Thank you so much to all four of the panelists!
I sincerely hope to see you all in DC in the Spring for the next Lobby Day. For those of you who have never made the trip to DC, I invite you to join us for an experience of a lifetime. Every time I leave Lobby Day, I am so grateful to be part of such an incredible organization and so motivated to continue to use my voice. I would like to sincerely thank Jeanine, Kathleen, Kitty, David, Nicole, Gail, and the rest of the EDC staff for all their amazing work and helping us be a voice on the hill.

With sincere gratitude,
Johanna Kandel, EDC Junior Board

Spring Rolls, Stir Fry, and Supporting the EDC!

EDC Junior Board member Sarah Yeung and her mother, Annette, organized an EDC fund raiser in Cincinnati, Ohio in August 2009. They held a Chinese dinner and silent auction at Sarah’s downtown apartment. Twenty-five guests attended to support the cause while enjoying some authentic Chinese cuisine. Annette, the master chef of the night, served up 9 dishes, including spring roll, wonton soup, fried rice, chicken lo mein, and various stir fry dishes!

The silent auction offered many items that were good for both body and soul. With generous support from local individuals and businesses such as Pendleton Pilates, Shine Yoga, YogahOMe, Body Truth Center for Wellness, Women Writing for (a) Change, Chocolats Latour, Brenda Ghantous Massage, and Salon DeSale, auction items included yoga and Pilate classes, nutritional counseling, writing lessons, handmade gourmet chocolate, and gift certificates for haircuts, manicure-pedicure, and massage.

The event was a great success, raising over $2000! “I am passionate about the fight against Eating Disorder and am excited that my first fund raiser was successful in enhancing awareness and helping EDC further its mission to advance the federal recognition of eating disorders as a public health priority.” Sarah commented. “With this year’s success, I hope to organize a bigger-scale event next year to raise more money!”

Sarah Yeung is a EDC Junior Board Member. Sarah has spoken at various Eating Disorder awareness and recovery forums. Her art works have been exhibited at museum shows with eating disorder, self perception, and women interest themes. She currently works in Human Resources for a large health-care products and pharmaceutical company in Cincinnati.

Another successful lobby day!

The 70+ advocates that came to Washington DC last week for our lobby day did a fabulous job bringing attention to eating disorders and the need for federal policy. We visited 48 different offices from 14 different states.

Our message to Members of Congress was twofold. 1) Make sure that any health care reform bill that passes in Congress this year includes coverage for eating disorder treatment, and 2) support the Federal Response to Eliminate Eating Disorders Act (the FREED Act).

The tangible results so far are that we have 2 new FREEED cosponsors (Carolyn Maloney (NY) and Keith Ellison (MN)). Plus we got some commitment from our champion Congressman Patrick Kennedy and others to work with us on ways to ensure eating disorders treatment is included in health care reform. We will pursue those leads and see where it takes us. As you can see we are at the table and making our impact known

Thank you to all who came here and made such a difference! Let's set our sights for our biggest lobby day yet in the Spring. Wouldn't it be fabulous to have people from every state next time? Thanks for your commitment to the EDC and to bringing federal attention to eating disorders! This is how bills get passed.

....from the Hill, Jeanine Cogan, Policy Director

Monday, September 28, 2009

Mental Health Parity Update

Thank you to everyone who called their Representatives following our most recent Action Alert regarding Mental Health Parity. Your efforts truly made a difference; 73 Representatives have signed on to ensure that mental health and substance use disorders are given the same level of treatment as other medical conditions covered under group health insurance. Click here to read the letter signed by all of the supporting Representatives that was send to Secretaries Solis, Sebelius, and Geithner.

Friday, September 25, 2009

A Lobby Day report

Gail Kennedy sends this Lobby Day report:
What an amazing Lobby Day yesterday was!

I have lobbied with the EDC for the past five events and they just keep getting better and better! I live here in DC and am a floating Team Lead, assigned to whichever teams need me. This year I was assigned to the great state of Virginia. We had a very large team, as VA typically does, and we met with 5 member offices: 2 Senate and 3 House. We had a combination of long-time supporters and also new target offices. We focused on FREED co-sponsorship and ensuring that eating disorders get included and clearly defined in any health care reform legislation. It was a very productive and exciting day, ending with a very emotional, motivational, and hopeful briefing on "Health Care, Insurance Coverage and Eating Disorders: Why We Need Reform and the FREED Act Now". It is always an incredible experience to lobby and realize how much our voices can make a difference.

Please invite your family and friends to join the FAC (visit our website) so they can also receive updates and get involved in our advocacy initiatives. Let's not lose the energy and momentum we started yesterday n the Hill! Hope to see you all next Spring
at our next Lobby Day.

Gail Kennedy
FAC (Family and Friends Action Council) Co-Chair

Monday, September 21, 2009

Enjoy Good Food and Good Company in Support of the EDC!

Can't make it to Lobby Day but will be in DC on September 24th? Visit the Capitol Hill Cosi at 301 Pennsylvania Ave SE for food, drinks, and an opportunity to support the EDC. Junior Board members Jamie Larson and Allie Moore will be hosting a fundraiser at the location from 5-9pm and 15% of proceeds will be donated to the Eating Disorders Coalition, with a silent auction and an opportunity to meet and socialize with advocates fresh from their day on the Hill. Tell your friends and family and be sure to stop by!

Best wishes EDC Lobby Day!

I just returned from the annual National Eating Disorders Association conference in Minneapolis, where I saw many of our allies in advocacy and treatment. I was so pleased to see EDC friends there, like Kathleen MacDonald and Kitty Westin.

I flew home in a fine mood, feeling very optimistic and energized, but a conversation on the plane reminded me of why the EDC's work matters in the lives of real people who may never know our name.

The gentleman sitting next to me was a Minnesota dairy farmer on HIS way to an agricultural Lobby Day. On hearing about my work he nodded knowingly. He has lost his health insurance because on changing insurers the new company decided his BMI was too high. His doctor says he is in excellent health, he is robust and active, but his height/weight ratio doesn't fit into the insurer's chart. This man is being forced into eating behaviors that are not healthy for him, and questioning his own habits and thoughts. I was struck by the ways anyone sitting together in a plane might be connected by issues of healthcare, mental health, parity, and the intersection of health and weight.

Lobby Day is in two days, and I am unable to attend this time - to my great regret. Thank you to all of those who will be there making a difference. We are all affected, we are all connected, and what you are doing MATTERS.

Laura Collins, Virginia

Friday, September 18, 2009

Update on Action Alert to Call Your Representatives Urging Their Support for Parity Regulations.

The deadline for Members of Congress to sign on to the House parity letter has been extended to Wednesday September 23. So now you have 2 more days to call your Representative.

Members of Congress who have signed on as of 10:30am on 9/18/09
1. Don Young
2. Jan Schakowsky
3. Chris Murphy
4. Sam Farr
5. Tammy Baldwin
6. John W. Olver
7. David Wu
8. Jim McGovern
9. Donna F. Edwards
10. Marcy Kaptur
11. James P. Moran
12. Chris Van Hollen
13. John Yarmuth
14. Zoe Lofgren
15. Lucille Roybal-Allard
16. Joe Sestak
17. James Langevin
18. Silvestre Reyes
19. Bart Stupak
20. Raúl M. Grijalva
21. John Lewis
22. Carol Shea- Porter
23. Steve Cohen
24. Bruce Braley
25. Michael H. Michaud
26. Edward J. Markey
27. Paul Tonko
28. John Sullivan

Action Alert: We need you to call your Representatives today!
Last month we had a wildly successful call in campaign for the SENATE. Now we need to repeat the same strategy for the HOUSE.

Urge Your Representative to Sign onto a Letter in Support of Parity Regulations Now
Action Needed by September 23rd.

Issue:
After years of hard work by mental health organizations such as the EDC, as well as other advocates and consumers, Congress passed the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 on October 3, 2008. The bill requires the Departments of Labor (DOL), Health and Human Services (HHS) and Treasury to issue regulations before the effective date for the Act which is January 1, 2010. It is essential the regulations are issued to avoid misinterpretation of the law and to ensure access to critical mental health and addiction services. The Parity Act was enacted on October 3, 2008 and requires the issuance of regulations by October 3, 2009. With or without regulations, this Act goes into effect for most plans on January 1, 2010. Not having regulations issued in a timely manner, with clearly outlined implementation details, will greatly limit the intended positive impact of the Act.

Solution:
Representative Patrick Kennedy is circulating a Dear Colleague Letter in the House which will be sent to the Secretaries of the three departments responsible for issuing the regulations insisting they act quickly and consider the comments that were filed in response to the request for information (RFI).

The EDC provided comments to the agencies earlier this year urging the agencies to interpret the law in a manner that would include eating disorders coverage. In order to make sure that years of hard work and advocacy pay off let's call our Representatives and ask them to sign onto this letter with Congressman Kennedy!

Action: Call your Representatives
How to find your Representative: go to www.house.gov
Put in your 9 digit zip code and your Representative will come up.

Use the phone number for the DC office (starts with 202)

The Message:
"Hi my name is XX. I am a constituent calling about the implementation of mental health parity regulations. I would like to urge the Congressman/Congresswoman to make sure mental health parity regulations are issued by October 3, 2009 by signing onto Congressman Kennedy’s Dear Colleague Letter by September 21st. This step helps to ensure parity is achieved for eating disorders and other mental health and addiction services. Thank you for passing that information on to him/her."
Given current health care reform discussions occurring in Congress, having parity regulations will be vital to ensuring equitable inclusion of addiction and mental health services in any reform bill passed by Congress.

Once you make your call please take a moment and let us know by filling this out. This is critical as its important for us to know what offices have been contacted. This will take no more then 30 seconds.

Click Here to take survey

Thursday, September 17, 2009

FREED Act Featured in Good Morning America Story About Eating Disorders!

The Eating Disorders Coalition is thrilled that today on Good Morning America, the FREED Act was mentioned in their story on eating disorders and lack of insurance coverage! Click here to see a video of the story. The Federal Response to Eliminate Eating Disorders Act (the FREED Act) was conceptualized by the Eating Disorders Coalition and brought to life this past February as our friend and champion Congressman Patrick Kennedy formally introduced it in the House (HR 1193). The FREED Act is the first comprehensive eating disorders bill in the history of Congress!

Since the bill's introduction the EDC has hosted a spring lobby day that generated support for the FREED Act, prompted letter writing campaigns and urged constituents to call their Members to support the bill. We are excited for our lobby day next week on September 24th as we continue to bring necessary attention to eating disorders, health care, and the FREED Act.

We currently have bipartisan support of the bill with 20 cosponsors. Additionally, 44 different national and local organizations have signed a letter to Congress endorsing the FREED Act!

If you can't join us for Lobby Day next week, we highly encourage you to take a moment to write your Members of Congress asking for their support of the FREED Act. For information on how to do this simple and effective action, please click here.

To learn more about the FREED Act click here

...From the Hill, Jeanine Cogan, Policy Director

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Action Alert: We need you to call your Representatives today!

Action Alert: We need you to call your Representatives today!
Last month we had a wildly successful call in campaign for the SENATE. Now we need to repeat the same strategy for the HOUSE.

Urge Your Representative to Sign onto a Letter in Support of Parity Regulations Now
Action Needed by September 21st.

Issue:
After years of hard work by mental health organizations such as the EDC, as well as other advocates and consumers, Congress passed the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 on October 3, 2008. The bill requires the Departments of Labor (DOL), Health and Human Services (HHS) and Treasury to issue regulations before the effective date for the Act which is January 1, 2010. It is essential the regulations are issued to avoid misinterpretation of the law and to ensure access to critical mental health and addiction services. The Parity Act was enacted on October 3, 2008 and requires the issuance of regulations by October 3, 2009. With or without regulations, this Act goes into effect for most plans on January 1, 2010. Not having regulations issued in a timely manner, with clearly outlined implementation details, will greatly limit the intended positive impact of the Act.

Solution:
Representative Patrick Kennedy is circulating a Dear Colleague Letter in the House which will be sent to the Secretaries of the three departments responsible for issuing the regulations insisting they act quickly and consider the comments that were filed in response to the request for information (RFI).

The EDC provided comments to the agencies earlier this year urging the agencies to interpret the law in a manner that would include eating disorders coverage. In order to make sure that years of hard work and advocacy pay off let's call our Representatives and ask them to sign onto this letter with Congressman Kennedy!

Action: Call your Representatives
How to find your Representative: go to www.house.gov
Put in your 9 digit zip code and your Representative will come up.

Use the phone number for the DC office (starts with 202)

The Message:
"Hi my name is XX. I am a constituent calling about the implementation of mental health parity regulations. I would like to urge the Congressman/Congresswoman to make sure mental health parity regulations are issued by October 3, 2009 by signing onto Congressman Kennedy’s Dear Colleague Letter by September 21st. This step helps to ensure parity is achieved for eating disorders and other mental health and addiction services. Thank you for passing that information on to him/her."
Given current health care reform discussions occurring in Congress, having parity regulations will be vital to ensuring equitable inclusion of addiction and mental health services in any reform bill passed by Congress.

Once you make your call please take a moment and let us know by filling this out. This is critical as its important for us to know what offices have been contacted. This will take no more then 30 seconds.

Click Here to take survey


Thanks! Every voice matters - we've had many examples of how one person writing a letter or making a phone call to their legislators makes a difference.

Jeanine Cogan, Ph.D.
Policy Director
Eating Disorders Coalition