The Wisconsin Parity Act Passes Senate with Bipartisan Support, 20-13

The Assembly will likely vote on the Wisconsin Parity Act before close of the legislative session in the spring.

The Wisconsin Parity Act is an important bill that will require most group health plans in Wisconsin to provide mental health and substance abuse disorder benefits at parity levels. This new law will increase treatment for hundreds of thousands of people in Wisconsin, saving lives and lowering costs.

Read memos of support from the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO and the Wisconsin Counties Association. For more information visit www.ParityForWisconsin.org

Next Making Parity Real Symposium: March 5 in Wausau

The next Making Parity Real symposium will be held Friday, March 5 in Wausau. For more information, visit www.MakingParityReal.org.

The Making Parity Real symposium held Jan. 15 in Green Bay was filmed by Wisconsin Eye; watch here.

Advocates, Treatment Providers Renew Call for Increased Addiction Treatment Funding, Access in Milwaukee County

More than 82,000 Milwaukee County residents need treatment for an addiction to drugs or alcohol but do not receive it, according to the most recent study of the “treatment gap” by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. That’s enough men and women to fill every seat at Lambeau Field, with nearly 11,000 people left over.

Nationally, only 10 percent of the more than 23 million people who need addiction treatment actually receive it.

The consequences of the treatment gap are profound:

  • Each year in Wisconsin, more than 2,160 deaths and 8,500 traffic crashes are attributed to alcohol and other drug use and addiction, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
  • Annual economic costs associated with drug and alcohol use in Wisconsin total $4.6 billion.
  • Nationally, untreated drug and alcohol abuse costs $500 billion a year in health care expenditures, lost productivity and related crime, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse; and contributes to the death of more than 100,000 Americans a year.

Read the full news release here.

Unforseen Benefits: Addiction Treatment Reduces
Health Care Costs

This new white paper from the Closing the Addiction Treatment Gap initiative shows that providing treatment to Americans suffering from an addiction to alcohol and drugs will lead to substantial health care savings totaling billions of dollars over a decade. This white paper cites studies showing that addiction treatment will help to decrease emergency room visits and shorten hospital stays, as well as reduce the complications associated with addiction’s effects on chronic illnesses and other conditions.

Download "Unforseen Benefits: Addiction Treatment Reduces Health Care Costs" (PDF)

A Groundbreaking Collaboration

The Milwaukee Addiction Treatment Initiative (MATI) is a groundbreaking collaboration among more than 80 state and local organizations—including law enforcement, public health organizations, treatment providers and advocates—to expand access to drug and alcohol treatment in Milwaukee County for everyone who needs it.

Milwaukee County currently suffers from a substantial “treatment gap”—the difference in the number of people who need treatment for drug and alcohol abuse and those who actually receive it. In 2004, the last year for which we have data, more than 82,000 people needed but did not receive treatment for drug and alcohol addiction in Milwaukee County. A recent study showed that in Wisconsin, 21 percent of individuals age 18-25 needed but did not receive treatment for alcohol use, compared to 17 percent nationally. Nationally, roughly 10 percent of people who need treatment receive it.

MATI partners will attempt to close the addiction treatment gap through:

  • Advocacy for reforming treatment funding and parity — MATI will work to ensure that everyone is Wisconsin has health insurance that includes mental health and addiction coverage on a parity basis.
  • Facilitating improved treatment delivery — MATI will play a lead role in helping to integrate the delivery of addiction treatment services in Milwaukee County with mental health services, other health services, and employment, housing, and other supportive services. Additionally, MATI will work to improve services for people suffering from addiction so that they are identified appropriately, assessed accurately, and receive timely and ongoing treatment as needed.

Addiction is a chronic, relapse-prone disease that can be successfully treated in a manner that significantly lowers health costs, criminal justice costs, and other governmental and private spending, while helping people suffering from addiction to return to fully productive lives in our economy and community.

The Milwaukee Addiction Treatment Initiative is sponsored by a grant from the Open Society Institute, Baltimore, with additional funding from the Helen Bader Foundation, the Zilber Family Foundation and the Greater Milwaukee Foundation.

"));