Action Alert
March 3, 2008

New Time! New Speaker!

Rep. Nancy Pelosi Speaker of the House	David Wellstone	Rep. Patrick Kennedy	Rep. Jim Ramstad	Rosalynn Carter Former First Lady

Wednesday, March 5 at 1 p.m.
Cannon Terrace/Cannon House Office Building
Corner of New Jersey & Independence Ave SE, Washington DC

On Wednesday, March 5, the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act will finally be brought to a vote on the House floor. This common sense legislation will end discrimination against people with mental illness and addiction and finally fulfill Congress' promise to pass this critical legislation in the late Senator Paul Wellstone's memory. After more than five years, this is the first time the legislation has come to a full vote in the House of Representatives and we need you to show your support! Join us as we rally just before the vote on the House floor!

Cannon Terrace - outside the Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill (click link below for map)
Google Map

Click the link below to RSVP and let our partner, Wellstone Action!, know that you're coming.
Wellstone Action!

www.eatingdisorderscoalition.org

Phone NOW!
Mental Health Parity Vote Scheduled March 5 in Congress

March 3, 2008 - The EDC has been working throughout 2007 and early 2008 to enact full mental health parity. Now, victory is within reach. Following the Senate's passage of the Mental Health Parity Act (S. 558) by unanimous consent, the House is ready to take up its version of the bill, H.R. 1424, on Wednesday, March 5. After that, Senate and House leaders will reconcile differences between the two versions of the bill in order to pass the strongest possible parity legislation.

As a supporter of mental health parity, we urge you to contact
your U.S. Representative NOW to urge support for H.R. 1424.

Take 3 minutes. Call now!

Use the toll-free Parity Hotline, 1-866-parity4 (1-866-727-4894), to call your U.S. Representative.  (The Parity Hotline reaches the Capitol switchboard, which can connect callers to the members of Congress. Using this hotline, rather than calling House offices directly, helps us gauge our effectiveness.) If you are not sure of your Representative's name, you can find it by entering your zip code at www.house.gov.

Your message: "I am a constituent of Representative ______ and a supporter of the Eating Disorders Coalition. I am calling to ask that the Representative vote for H.R. 1424, the Paul Wellstone Mental Health & Addiction Equity Act. Parity is a fair and affordable solution to insurance discrimination against people with eating disorders and other mental disorders. It will save lives and families."

Background: The Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2007 expands the Mental Health Parity Act of 1996 by prohibiting group health plans from imposing treatment or financial limitations on mental health benefits that are different from those applied to medical/surgical services. The legislation applies only to group health plans already providing mental health benefits and exempts plans sponsored by small businesses with fewer than 50 employees. For extensive information, link to the following EDC summary sheet on parity:
http://www.eatingdisorderscoalition.org/legupdate/FactSheetsMPParity110.pdf

Plan now to participate in the April 9-10 EDC Award Reception and EDC Lobby Day.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Basic Training & EDC Award Reception (3-8pm) Basic Training is required for all first-time advocates. EDC staff will define public policy, explain how Congress makes laws, and review what Congress and the government has done - or not done - about eating disorders. For those who have participated in a previous EDC Lobby Day, Basic Training is optional. The EDC Award Reception will follow Basic Training.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Message Training (9-10am) Message Training is required of everyone joining us for the EDC Lobby Day. We will cover the talking points for the day and will practice those messages in EDC Lobby Day teams. If you miss this brief session, you will not know your specific points nor your role in the team. A light breakfast will be served.

EDC Lobby Day (10:30am-4:30pm) At the US Capitol, we work in small teams meeting with elected officials and their staff. No one will lobby alone. Lobby teams will arrive for each appointment, deliver a packet of materials, and talk about how Congress can help. Most importantly, each team member can share how an eating disorder has changed her or his life.

Each EDC Lobby Day participant will receive a light breakfast, a lapel pin, an EDC Lobby Day packet, and training. You MUST register in advance for the training and EDC Lobby Day in order for us to make appointments for you. Details will be sent to those who have registered.

Registration for the EDC Lobby Day and EDC Award Reception will open in soon.