02/22/1999 03:28 PM House L&C

    HOUSE LABOR AND COMMERCE STANDING COMMITTEE                                                                                 
                 February 22, 1999                                                                                              
                     3:28 p.m.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
COMMITTEE CALENDAR                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
MENTAL HEALTH PARITY TASK FORCE REPORT                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
TAPE(S) 99-13, SIDE(S) A & B                                                                                                    
TAPE(S) 99-14, SIDE(S) A                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
CALL TO ORDER                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN NORMAN ROKEBERG reconvened the House Labor and Commerce                                                                
Standing Committee meeting at 3:28 p.m. in order to hear the Mental                                                             
Health Parity Task Force Report.  [The earlier hearing on HB 83 is                                                              
included in the 3:16 p.m. minutes for this same date.]                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
PRESENT                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Committee members present when the meeting was called back to order                                                             
were Representatives Rokeberg, Halcro, Sanders, Murkowski, Harris,                                                              
Brice and Cissna.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
ALSO ATTENDING                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Susan Nelson, National Association of Social Workers (NASW); Marie                                                              
Lavigne, NASW; John Ference, Deputy Director, Division of                                                                       
Insurance, Department of Commerce and Economic Development; Scott                                                               
L. Wheat, National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI); and                                                                    
Patricia Arnold, NAMI.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
SUMMARY OF INFORMATION                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GARY DAVIS, Co-Chairman, Mental Health Parity Task                                                               
Force, presented an overview of the Mental Health Parity Task                                                                   
Force.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
WALTER MAJOROS, Alaska Mental Health Board staff, presented an                                                                  
overview of the Mental Health Parity Task Force.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
STEVEN HAMILTON, C&S Management Associates (Contractor), presented                                                              
an overview of the Mental Health Parity Task Force.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
JOE HEUEISEN, Insurance/Shattuck & Grummett, presented an overview                                                              
of the Mental Health Parity Task Force.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Provided were copies of the following:  "Mental Health Parity Task                                                              
Force, Final Report," dated February 1999 (plus an excerpt from                                                                 
that document); "Legislative Task Force on Mental Health Parity, A                                                              
Report to the Legislature"; HCS CSSCR 14(RLS) am H, a resolution                                                                
from the second session of the Twentieth Legislature establishing                                                               
the task force; and a one-page handout titled, "Mental Health                                                                   
Parity for Alaska."                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
COMMITTEE ACTION                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
The committee took no action.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
ADJOURNMENT                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
The meeting was adjourned at 5:14 p.m.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
NOTE:                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
The meeting was recorded and handwritten log notes were taken.  A                                                               
copy of the tape(s) and log notes may be obtained by contacting the                                                             
House Records Office at 130 Seward Street, Suite 211, Juneau,                                                                   
Alaska  99801-1182, (907) 465-2214, and after adjournment of the                                                                
second session of the Twenty-first Alaska State Legislature, in the                                                             
Legislative Reference Library.