like the labor movement, like the civil rights movement, we're going to create the demand for sherry glade and pam hyde to do the work they're already doing. it's not going to happen without all of you. my uncle bobby said every time a person stands up or improves the lot of others, they send through a tiny ripple of hope. and coming through the centers of energy and daring, they bring ripples up and down the walls. we can do this together. i learned in recovery that half measures availed me nothing. we need to be in this all the way, and with the committed audience i see out here today, we're going to be successful in getting the job done. thank you very much. [ applause ] >> thank you both for speaking here today, and now i know the part that everybody is waiting for is our questions and answers. if i can get both of you to join me up here, the questions aren't directed to either one of you, so you can decide who wants to take the questions. the first one is the original bill was passed in the 1990s but the insurance companies used loopholes to avoid parity for mental health coverage. ar

let's hear a great round of applause for sherri glade. [ applause ] >> i just want to speak very briefly to that point. i think one of the really important things that you could do at the state level right now is influence states in their selection of essential health benefits. the way we've laid out the law, states have a choice of benchmarks between their small group plans and large employer plans and so on. one of the things that that makes possible is for states to include, if they choose, their existing mental health mandates in the essential health in the pact they choose. so for some states who have a strong advocacy influence and e health/substance abuse man dates in place, with appropriate advocacy, i think there is a possibility for those states to choose a plan that includes those benefits as the essential health benefits plan that will cover basically 70 million insured people. >> how do you encourage we have shown many, many health employers, many, many empiricala macro level and a micro level of treating people. the average untreated alcoholic or addict's health costs, for