(a) The Legislature finds the following:

lawyer at desk

Ask an insurance law question, get an answer ASAP!
Click here to chat with a lawyer about your rights.

Terms Used In Alabama Code 27-54-1

  • Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. Source: U.S. Courts
  • following: means next after. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
  • state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
  • year: means a calendar year; but, whenever the word "year" is used in reference to any appropriations for the payment of money out of the treasury, it shall mean fiscal year. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
(1) Mental illness affects many citizens of this state each year, resulting in anguish, grief, desperation, fear, isolation, and a sense of hopelessness of significant levels among victims and families.
(2) Consequences of mental illness include the significant expenditures of public operating funds for treatment and losses of millions of dollars by businesses in the state in accidents, absenteeism, nonproductivity, and turnover. Excessive stress and anxiety and other forms of mental illness clearly contribute to general health problems and costs.
(3) Typical health coverage in this state by some insurers provides individuals and affected families of mental illness with nonexistent or limited benefits compared to provisions for other illnesses.
(4) Experience in this state and several other states demonstrates that the risk of mental illness can be insured at reasonable additional cost, provided strict controls on quality and utilization of treatment are applied.
(b) The Legislature declares that the following is the policy of this state:

(1) To promote equitable and nondiscriminatory health coverage benefits for all forms of illness including mental and emotional disorders that are of significant consequence to the health of people of the state and that can be treated in a cost-effective manner.
(2) To ensure that victims of mental and other illnesses have access to and choice of appropriate treatment at the earliest point of illness in the least restrictive settings.
(3) To ensure that costs of treatment of mental illness are supported through an equitable combination of public and private responsibilities.
  Previous section
Next section  
 Chapter 54 Contents