The National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare reported that on March 5 the US House of Representatives passed the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act (House Bill 1424) by a vote of 268-148.
Introduced by Representatives Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) and Jim Ramstad (R-MN) on March 7, 2007, House Bill 1424 expands upon the Mental Health Parity Act of 1996, which established parity for annual and lifetime dollar limits, requiring group health plans that offer benefits for mental health and addictions treatment to do so on the same terms as care for other diseases. The legislation closes the loopholes that allow plans to charge higher co-payments, coinsurance, deductibles, and maximum out-of-pocket limits and impose lower day and visit limits on mental health and addictions treatment.
In the US Senate, Senators Edward Kennedy (D-MA), Michael Enzi (D-WY), and Pete Domenici (R-NM) introduced the Mental Health Parity Act of 2007 (Senate Bill 558) on February 12, 2007. This bill would amend two laws - the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) - and expand upon the existing 1996 federal parity law. The Senate bill also includes prohibitions on unequal financial requirements for mental health and addictions treatment such as co-payments and deductibles. Senate Bill 558 unanimously by voice vote.
The National Council has supported the passage of parity legislation in both chambers and hopes that the subsequent conference process will produce a bill that will expand parity for both mental health and addictions treatment.
For more information please contact Anne McHugh Leisure at PCPA.
