The U.S. House of Representatives recently voted to approve the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act, H.R. 1424.  The bill would require health insurances to equally cover mental and physical illness when the policies cover both.  The House voted 268-148 in favor of the bill, while the Senate passed a similar bill, S. 558, in September of 2007.

The bill is a great win for those who support the treatment of mental health and addiction disorders.  Often, when a worker or family member suffers from such disorders, treatment is limited by affordability or time/visit restrictions.  This bill provides equal access to addiction and mental health treatment, and considers such treatment to be as important as that for physical illness.  Proponents are hopeful that providing better treatment benefits will lessen the stigma often attached to those with substance abuse or other mental health issues and help the general public acknowledge that such illnesses often can be effectively treated.

The House and Senate will soon meet to work out the specifics of the bill.  The scope of the House’s bill regarding mental illness is broader, stating that if a plan provides mental health benefits, it must cover all mental illnesses and addiction disorders listed in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM), which is used by mental health professionals.  The Senate bill gives insurance companies more leeway about which disorders would be covered. 

Some businesses and most insurers are currently in favor of the Senate version of the bill.  It has been noted that if the House version is passed, some employers fear they may not be able to afford to offer health insurance benefits to their employees due to the high cost of such broad coverage.  Those involved in this issue are optimistic, though, that a compromise on parity can be made and that this bill will be enacted into law.  If the bill is enacted, the mental health parity requirements would apply to group health plans with 50 or more employees, while those with less than 50 employees would be exempt.

Information on the bills, H.R. 1424 and S. 558, can be found at: http://thomas.loc.gov.