State Rep. Gambill Weighs in on health insurance parity
District 15 State Rep. Matthew Gambill (R, Cartersville) said he expects mental health care to be a major legislative priority in the upcoming General Assembly session.
JAMES SWIFT/THE DAILY TRIBUNE NEWS
Posted Tuesday, September 21, 2021 7:36 pm
BY JAMES SWIFT
District 15 State Rep. Matthew Gambill (R, Cartersville) was among several lawmakers to take part in a virtual town hall meeting of the Georgia General Assembly Working Group on Addiction and Recovery last week.
“I don’t profess to be an expert, but this has provided a venue for me as a legislator, working with my other colleagues that we have the privilege to serve together with, to be a convener of information and support for our recovery community and those that are dealing with substance abuse issues,” he said on Thursday morning.
Gambill serves as a co-chair of the working group alongside District 50 State Rep. Angelika Kausche (D, Johns Creek); District 29 State Sen. Randy Robertson (R, Cataula); and District 48 State Sen. Michelle Au (D, Johns Creek.)
“Being a part of this is something that I don’t take lightly,” Gambill said. “The work that we’re going to accomplish is going to be great.”
Much of the online discussion revolved around the issue of parity — i.e., mental health and substance abuse coverage that is equivalent to insurance for other medical conditions.
Although a federal law, the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, was authorized in 2008, Georgia Council on Substance Abuse representative Jeff Breedlove said its provisions have not been adhered to on the state level.
“Everybody seems to be onboard with accepting the premise that Georgia’s not enforcing the parity law, that’s not been disputed,” he said.
Au said she believes that medical conditions should not be covered at “differential or discriminatory rates” relative to other conditions.
“It would be ethically wrong to differentially cover treatment, for example, for lung cancer, chemo or surgery if it resulted from cigarette smoke,” she said. “It’s the same thing — substance abuse disorder is a medical problem.”
Au contended that the lack of parity prevents those with substance dependency issues from getting adequate treatment — and in the process, prevents them from “meaningfully contributing to our communities.”
Robertson agreed that parity “absolutely has to be a part of the conversation” when the Georgia General Assembly reconvenes.
“I think we have to look at it from the standpoint of not only enforcing what’s currently happening,” he said, “but at the same time, any time you open up something as fragile as we talk about — addiction and recovery issues in health care — as with anything else, there’s always going to be those bad actors who are going to come in and try to take advantage of the system, therefore pulling resources away from those that need them.”
Robertson said he would like to see plans from Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John F. King that show not just a course of action for “robust enforcement” of parity, but “backstops built in to keep those who are suffering from being deprived of what they didn’t cause.”
Kausche said parity is especially important in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We all know someone who suffers either from severe mental health or addiction issues,” she said. “For those who don’t know it, Georgia is No. 51 in mental health treatment … here in Georgia, it’s almost impossible to find a provider who takes insurance.”
Gambill said he supported his colleagues in making parity a legislative priority.
“We all know that we need an investment when it comes to mental health,” he said. “This is something we are long overdue for, and honestly, I thought that it was going to have happened in 2020.”
He said he expects to see “amazing things, legislatively” take place in 2022 when it comes to mental health care in Georgia.
“We’re now back to a point where there is additional revenues that the State has,” he said. “I’m very hopeful and optimistic based on the conversations I’ve had and the things I’ve heard come from our leadership in the House and the Senate, and even from the governor’s office, that we’re going to have a major focus on that.”
