Advocacy

MENTAL ILLNESS TOUCHES SO MANY

ental illness touches so many of our lives and it is important that it is once and for all recognized and provided for in the same manner as other medical conditions. Once again this year, I have co-sponsored the Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act, HR 953. This bill expands the Mental Health Parity Act of 1996 to ensure parity in coverage of mental health benefits.

This will be accomplished by prohibiting certain group health plans (or insurance coverage offered in connection with a group plan) from imposing treatment limitations or financial requirements on benefits for mental illnesses unless comparable limitations are imposed on medical and surgical benefits.

The President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health has recognized that mental health parity is critical to the modernization of our mental health delivery system.
H.R. 953 meets the President’s request for a full parity bill that does not significantly increase health care costs. It currently has the bipartisan support of 246 cosponsors in the House. The Senate version of the bill has 68 cosponsors. Hundreds of advocacy groups across the country have endorsed our bill, representing a wide spectrum of interests and ideologies.

Given its majority support in the House and the President’s call for legislation, we believe this legislation will be a great success, when it is eventually passed.

This bill is currently under consideration by the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health. As a member of this subcommittee, I look forward to working on this bill and ensuring that it gets to the House floor for a vote.

Millions of Americans are denied access to needed medical care in the absence of parity. I look forward to rectifying this problem and working with you to help address the vital need for mental health parity.

Read more about it . . .

Read more about H.R. 953 in NAMI Madison County's Legislative Alert May 03 

*You can also read more about the Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act
(H.R. 953) at    the U.S. Congress on the Internet.