Patrick Kennedy: Part 1: We Can Fix Mental Health Care If We Build Power

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Send us Fan Mail We talk with former U.S. representative Patrick Kennedy about why mental health parity still fails in practice and what it takes to make insurers and employers cover care that actually works. We keep coming back to one idea: real change happens when we build power and design a system that rewards early help, long-term outcomes, and community support. • Barriers to full enforcement of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act • Why payers respond to penalties more than long-term value • How lobbying, regulation and legal appeals weaken consumer protections • Building political power by organizing families and breaking silos • The business case for early intervention…