Appointed by Senate President: Delores G. Kelley; Leonard H. Teitelbaum.
Appointed by House Speaker: Peter A. Hammen; Shane E. Pendergrass.
Appointed by Secretary of Health & Mental Hygiene: Bonnie B. Katz; Randall M. Lutz, Esq.; Ethel Nemcek; Jeffrey Richardson; Dina R. Sokal, M.D.; Mary Beth Tierney; Fran Wishnick.
Appointed by Maryland Insurance Commissioner: Morton Albert, M.D.; Jonathan Brooke, M.D.; Brenda Conyers-Sorrell.
Appointed by Rural Maryland Council: Bonnie Braun, Ph.D.
Ex officio: David S. Helsel, M.D., designee of Secretary of Health & Mental Hygiene; Kathleen G. Loughran, designee of Maryland Insurance Commissioner.
Staff: Lisa M. Kulishek, Esq.
c/o Maryland Insurance Administration
525 St. Paul Place
Baltimore, MD 21202 - 2272
(410) 468-2218
1-800-492-6116, ext. 2218 (toll free)
e-mail: lkulishek@mdinsurance.state.md.us
fax: (410) 468-2020
tty: 1-800-735-2258
Final Report to Governor & General Assembly due Dec. 31, 2004 (Chapter 224, Acts of 2003).
The Task Force on Access to Mental Health Services formed in August 2003 (Chapter 224, Acts of 2003). The Task Force will study and make recommendations regarding a variety of issues relating to mental health services. It is to decide whether any changes should be made to current mental health parity requirements, and how to ensure that commercially insured individuals have access to medically necessary mental health treatment. Systematic barriers experienced by commercially insured individuals when attempting to access community treatment will be examined by the Task Force.
Another goal of the Task Force is to observe and take note of differences in mental health service coverage provided by the public mental health system, commercial health insurers, and commercial health maintenance organizations. In addition, the Task Force is to monitor the structure and effectiveness of public and private mental heath care delivery systems in the State. Finally, the Task Force shall study what impact any recommended changes to the coverage or delivery of services will have on the cost of health care coverage in Maryland.
Authorization for the Task Force extends to December 31, 2004.
© Copyright July 09, 2004 Maryland State Archives