Partnership for Workplace Mental Health
E-Update, December 2008
Mental Health Parity Law
The Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 was signed into law as part of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act. The law will provide parity between medical/surgical and mental health/addiction benefits in healthcare plans that offer mental health coverage. Health insurance plans sponsored by businesses with more than 50 employees will be prohibited from imposing day and visit limits or applying different deductibles, copayments, and out-of-network charges. Previous legislation provided limited parity on lifetime and annual dollar limits.
The law takes effect January 1, 2010 (for collectively bargained health plans, the effective date may be later than January 1, 2010, depending on when the current collective bargaining agreement expires). The text of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act can be viewed here (the section on mental health parity is located on pages 310-344 of the displayed law).
Visit the Partnership website for more information on this important legislation and how it will affect employers. We welcome your comments and questions about the new legislation.
SAVE THE DATE
New Mental HealthWorks Available Now! Visit the Partnership website to download the latest Mental HealthWorks. Our latest issue includes the following stories:
- Houston Texans Get Strong, Go Long on Mental Health
- CEO Helps Other CEOs Recover from Depression
- Adults with ADHD Miss More Workdays; Few Seek Treatment
- Employers Can Prevent Depression in the Workplace
- Psychotherapy Works
Partnership's Database of Employers Innovations Online! Employer Innovations Online is an easily navigated, user-friendly tool describing actual practices of leading companies in key areas, such as screening and education, Employee Assistance Programs, disability management, and wellness programs. Each case study in the database describes the practice(s) of one employer, such as American Airlines, DuPont, JPMorgan Chase, Pitney Bowes, and Sprint. Visit Employer Innovations Online now!
Are you doing something at your workplace to address mental health? We invite you to participate in this exciting initiative! Have you found success with a specific approach from which others can learn? Interested companies and organizations can submit their innovative approaches to workplace mental health online at www.workplacementalhealth.org/search or contact Mary Claire Leftwich at (703) 907- 8561 or mleftwich@psych.org to arrange to share your story � we�ll do all the work for you!
WORKPLACE MENTAL HEALTH NEWS
Employers Cost Savings Briefs. Employer Cost Savings briefs were created by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to provide information on the costs of substance use disorders for employers and guidance on how they can enhance health plan administration to lower their costs and increase treatment. The set of recently released briefs provide concise arguments based on the technical cost literature to help employers recognize the detrimental and costly influence of substance use disorders in the workplace and understand what actions they can take to address the problem.
Visit the SAMHSA website for more information and to download the briefs.
The Cost of Absenteeism. Absent employees cost companies millions of dollars in lost revenue each year. But exactly how much does the combined cost of absenteeism affect your business? According to a new survey by Mercer, "The Total Financial Impact of Employee Absences," the cost of absence can equal as much as 36 percent of payroll. Unplanned absences like casual sick days result in the highest per-day productivity loss, 21 percent versus just 15 percent for planned absences like vacation days.
For more information on this survey, visit the Kronos website. (This survey was sponsored by Kronos� Incorporated.)
Kaiser Issues New Snapshot on Employer-Based Health Coverage. A new analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation�s Snapshots: Health Care Costs series sheds light on some of the important differences in the availability and cost of coverage for workers in small and large businesses that may be relevant for any reform effort. Although employer-provided health insurance is the primary source of coverage in the United States, covering almost 160 million people, the analysis finds that firms with fewer than 200 employees are less likely to offer health insurance to workers than are larger firms (62 percent versus 99 percent).
To read the analysis in full, visit the Kaiser Family Foundation�s website here.
Information for Employees and their Families
Holiday Resources from the APA
For most people, the holiday season is a rewarding and cherished time of year. However, for some, the holidays can bring a lot of stress, anxiety and feelings of depression. The extra demands of holiday shopping, expenses and travel can be overwhelming. The American Psychiatric Association offers holiday tip sheets and other resources to help families and individuals cope and make the most of this festive season:
- Tips for Appropriate Holiday Alcohol Consumption
- Tips for Managing Seasonal Affective Disorder
- Helping Children Cope with Holiday Stress -Tips for Parents and Families
- APA Expert Opinion: Dealing with the Winter Blues with Dr. Douglas Jacobs
Timing Is Everything: The Onset of Depression and Acute Coronary Syndrome Outcome. Depression commencing a month after a heart attack seems to be a powerful predictor that another heart attack may be close at hand. Studies have previously demonstrated that people who have a heart attack and who have experienced depression at some point in their lives have a worse coronary outcome than people who have never been depressed. But what has been unclear is when a depression has to occur in order to pose such risks. A recent study from the University of New South Wales found that the chances of having a subsequent heart attack were seven times greater for those heart-attack subjects who were found to be depressed a month later than for subjects who did not become depressed at this time.
Visit Psychiatric News to read the full story.
The Partnership for Workplace Mental Health wishes you and your family warm holiday wishes!
Thank you for your continued interest in the Partnership for Workplace Mental Health. If you have any questions, or you wish not to receive these updates, please e-mail Mary Claire Leftwich at mleftwich@psych.org. Visit www.workplacementalhealth.org or call 703-907-8561 for more information.