The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence fights the stigma and the disease of alcoholism and other drug addictions.

FAIRNESS IN TREATMENT

Key Messages for the Media

BACKGROUND

• With the public hype (movie "Traffic," the current ABC Nightline Series on drug demand problem, CNN coverage of the results of Pew Charitable Trust study 3/21/01) to find solutions for America's drug problem, members of U.S. Congress introduced legislation on March 22 to end discrimination in health insurance cover for drug addiction treatment.
  
  
• Bill was introduced by Senator Paul Wellstone (D-MN), Congressman Jim Ramstad (R-MN) and cosponsored by Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD)

THERE IS A NEED FOR ADDICTION TREATMENT TO HELP SOLVE AMERICA'S DRUG PROBLEM

• 23 million Americans suffer from addiction-one in four deaths per year from untreated addiction
  
  
• Untreated addiction costs America $400 billion per year in crime, health services, deaths on highways, to name a few:
  
  
  • 6 times more than America's number ONE killer: heart disease.
  • 6 times more than other chronic, relapsing diseases like diabetes
  • 4 times more than cancer
  
  
  
• 70% of Americans have private health insurance-those seeking treatment frequently can't get adequate care because of limits in amount of coverage, length of stay or number of times one can seek help for addictive disease
  
  
• for every $1 dollar spent on treatment, $7 dollars is saved
  
  
• If passed by Congress, this legislation will immediately reduce the huge financial burdens placed on our communities AND save millions of lives.

National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc.

244 East 58th Street, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10022 phone: 212/269-7797   fax: 212/269-7510 email: national@ncadd.org   http://www.ncadd.org HOPE LINE: 800/NCA-CALL (24-hour Affiliate referral)