WASHINGTON (March 6, 2008) – Congressman Chandler joined his colleagues yesterday to pass H.R. 1424, the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act, which would require insurance companies to treat mental health services as they do other health services.
For years, mental health advocates have been pushing to end the disparity in insurance coverage for mental illness compared to physical illness. Full-parity legislation was first introduced in 2001. While mental health parity legislation has advanced in the Senate in recent years, yesterday marks the first time full- parity legislation has passed the House of Representatives.
“While the medical community has progressed dramatically over the last decade in understanding how to treat mental disease, I believe the public stigma that remains comes at a price our society cannot afford,” said Congressman Chandler. “This bill is a big first step in ending discrimination against individuals requiring treatment for mental illness.”
H.R. 1424 prohibits insurers and group health plans that provide mental health benefits from imposing financial or treatment limitations on these benefits. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that this legislation will have a minuscule impact on health insurance premiums.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about one in four adults suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in any given year. Aside from the enormous personal costs associated with mental health problems, it is estimated that the American economy loses about $105 billion each year through lost productivity due to untreated mental illness.
“In order to effectively face the problem of mental illness, we must ensure that individuals have the insurance coverage they need to afford treatment,” said Chandler. “This bipartisan legislation will help the nearly 60 million people in America who suffer from mental illness live healthier, happier and more productive lives.”
Congressman Chandler is a member of the Congressional Mental Health Caucus.
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