Full Name
Rocky Schwartz
Job Title
Co-Chair
Company
New Jersey Behavioral Health Planning Council
Speaker Bio
Rocky Schwartz is a woman in long-term recovery from alcoholism and addiction for 36 years. She naively believed that she would be able to prevent her children from suffering from substance abuse. However, both of her sons have been struggling with substance abuse and mental health issues. Seven years and $300,000 later, she has lost six insurance appeals. She gave up the first few appeals due to emotional fatigue. With each insurance denial, she became more and more outraged. Schwartz has become a passionate advocate for parity enforcement. She is the Co-Chair of the New Jersey Behavioral Health Planning Council, member of the New Jersey Parity Coalition and National Alliance on Mental Illness. She was recognized by the New Jersey legislature as an Advocacy Leader. She testified in the New Jersey legislature in support of the proposed parity bill. She spoke at the New Frontier of Mental Health and Addiction Event on Capitol Hill. Most recently, she testified before the President's Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and Opioid Crisis in the White House.
Rocky Schwartz