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Washington, D.C., March 6th -- Rep. Jim Moran, Virginia Democrat, last night joined a bipartisan majority in the House of Representatives in support of landmark legislation that will help end discrimination against patients requiring treatment for mental illnesses. The Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act (H.R. 1424) was approved by a vote of 268-148.
“Mental illness is a biologically-based illness like any other disease,” said Moran. “Unfortunately, many group health plans don’t provide the same coverage for mental illnesses as they do for physical ailments. Every day, millions of Americans suffer from debilitating mental health conditions, yet are denied equal treatment by insurers – patients who, with proper care, could be made well.”
Sponsored by Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) and Jim Ramstad (R-MN) the bipartisan bill prohibits insurers and group health plans from imposing treatment or financial limitations by offering mental health benefits that are more restrictive than those applied to medical and surgical services.
The legislation applies only to insurers and group health plans that provide mental health benefits. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office has estimated that this legislation will have a miniscule impact on health insurance premiums.
Mental health conditions are the leading cause of disability for Americans aged 15-44, and are implicated in 90% of the more than 30,000 suicides that occur here annually. Productivity loss due to depression costs employers an additional $31 billion per year before disability claims are even taken into account.
Over the last eight years, the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) has made “parity” coverage for mental health care available to Members of Congress and 8.5 million other federal employees. Research has shown that there has been no significant cost increase attributable to this new coverage. Now, this bill makes available to all Americans the access to affordable mental health services already available to Members of Congress.
“This historic legislation helps end discrimination based on mental health,” added Moran. “Cancer and schizophrenia are both life threatening illnesses requiring professional medical treatment. Why should we allow health insurers to cover the cost of one while short-changing the other?”
H.R. 1424 is backed by a diverse group of organizations including the American Medical Association, American Hospital Association, American Nurses Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, National Hispanic Medical Association, American Counseling Association, Families USA, American Psychiatric Association, American Psychological Association, National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors, National Mental Health Awareness Campaign, and Mental Health America.
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