Dear friends and relatives, There is an important bill that needs support. This one brings medical insurance into the current century by making HMO's and insurance companies etc stop discriminating against people who have mental health problems (which almost every insurance company does by giving less coverage to people suffering from real, biological disorders that cause "mental" problems like Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Panic Attacks, Obsessive Anxiety, Attention Deficit Disorder, Schizophrenia etc). It is a way insurance companies save money on the backs of people who already have one strike against them. These disorders are responsible for much suffering and many lost work days. The Brain and the Nervous System are part of the Human Body and people suffering from these physical and often genetic problems should be given as much support as people suffering from diabetes, hypertension, cancer, lung problems, etc. Please go to the web site (http://www.workingforchange.com/activism/action.cfm?ItemId=16748 ) and support this bill, and if possible call your representatives and ask that they support this bill. Please pass this plea on to your friends and relatives. Please support your current friends and family who are suffering because of predjudice. Thank you for your time and efforts in support of this bill. A. Land Harris MD Become part of the solution, get involved, get active, make a difference! Handsome Gentle Lightning Bear, Jenni Mi Corazon & Yours Truly www.Vizsland.com PS: the Paul Wellstone site has a way to support work against domestic violence as well http://www.wellstone.org/ ---------- From: ActForChange <actforchange@act.actforchange.com> To: alandmd@cox.net Subject: Urgent Alert: Pass the Wellstone Mental Health Parity Bill Date: Wed, Apr 14, 2004, 2:43 PM ACTFORCHANGE ACTIVISM UPDATE: April 14, 2004 You are receiving this newsletter because you have previously taken action on ActForChange in support of progressive values. IN THIS BULLETIN: FEATURED ACTION: End Insurance Discrimination — Pass the Wellstone Mental Health Parity Bill <http://act.actforchange.com/cgi-bin7/DM/y/hYbO0GdStX0KkY0lyT0AF> ACTIVISM OPPORTUNITY: No More Corporate Tax Holidays — Make Corporations Pay Their Fair Share <http://act.actforchange.com/cgi-bin7/DM/y/hYbO0GdStX0KkY0lyV0AH> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- End Insurance Discrimination — Pass the Wellstone Mental Health Parity Bill <http://act.actforchange.com/cgi-bin7/DM/y/hYbO0GdStX0KkY0lyT0AF> Contributed by Wellstone Action The Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act would close loopholes in federal law by requiring group health plans to stop using arbitrary limits on mental health parity benefits different from those used with medical and surgical benefits. With 69 co-sponsors, this legislation is sure to pass if brought to a vote, but Senate leaders have reneged on their commitment and are blocking the bill from a vote on the floor of the Senate. Click here to take action! <http://act.actforchange.com/cgi-bin7/DM/y/hYbO0GdStX0KkY0lyT0AF> It's up to us to keep the pressure on those key senators that have the power to allow a vote. Ask your senators to contact Senators Gregg and Frist and tell them to bring the Wellstone legislation to a vote. Click here to take action! <http://act.actforchange.com/cgi-bin7/DM/y/hYbO0GdStX0KkY0lyT0AF> Please forward this newsletter to your friends and help spread the word about this important campaign! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- No More Corporate Tax Holidays — Make Corporations Pay Their Fair Share <http://act.actforchange.com/cgi-bin7/DM/y/hYbO0GdStX0KkY0lyV0AH> While April 15 is no tax holiday for millions of individual American taxpayers scrambling to get their returns in, it might as well be for many U.S. corporations. At a time of exploding Federal deficits and unmet public needs, we cannot afford corporate tax evasion. Recent reports from the General Accounting Office show that more than 60% of large U.S. corporations paid NO federal taxes from 1996 through 2000, and in today's weaker economy, tax receipts from companies have fallen even steeper — corporate taxes now account for a mere 7.5% of overall federal tax receipts, the lowest rate since 1983. For a comparison, during WWII corporate taxes accounted for about 40% of federal tax receipts. Fortunately, there are two easy solutions that do not even involve raising tax rates — better enforcement and closing loopholes. Click here to take action! <http://act.actforchange.com/cgi-bin7/DM/y/hYbO0GdStX0KkY0lyV0AH> The IRS estimates that the U.S. Treasury may be losing billions of dollars each year due to aggressive tax avoidance, and it's time to make corporations pay up. Individuals shouldn't be the only ones to get a tax bill due this April 15. Urge your representatives to get tough on corporate tax cheats and close the "Bermuda Triangle loophole" by supporting the Corporate Patriot Enforcement Act (HR 737) and increasing the funding and authority of the IRS to get tough with corporate tax cheats through a substantial increase in audits and other enforcement measures. Click here to take action! <http://act.actforchange.com/cgi-bin7/DM/y/hYbO0GdStX0KkY0lyV0AH> Please forward this newsletter to your friends and help spread the word about this important campaign! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you for working to build a better world, Jennifer Willis Director ActForChange.com YOU ARE SUBSCRIBED AS: alandmd@cox.net If you do not wish to receive updates about ways you can make your voice heard: Please click here <http://www.workingforchange.com/unsub/act_unsub.cfm?emailaddr=alandmd@cox.n et> to unsubscribe to this newsletter. 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