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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 3, 2008
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Contact: Zach Goldberg
202-225-5801 (office) |
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WITH HOLT’S SUPPORT, CONGRESS SENDS MENTAL
HEALTH PARITY INITIATIVE TO PRESIDENT BUSH
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(Washington, D.C.) – Rep. Rush Holt (NJ-12) today joined a majority of the U.S. House of Representatives to send to President Bush legislation that would provide for equity in the coverage of mental health and substance use disorders compared to medical and surgical disorders. The mental health parity initiative – which is a part of the broader economic rescue bill -- would affect the 187 million Americans who currently have insurance coverage under non-self-insured plans. The bill would help prevent the lack of treatment by bringing down the two primary reasons Americans did not seek mental health services. According to a 2004 survey by the American Psychological Association, Americans say that lack of insurance and cost are the leading factors for not seeking mental health services.
“We know that mental illness is treatable, yet because one third of the people affected do not receive needed treatments, and mental illness remains a leading cause of disability and premature death,” Holt said. “Today the millions of Americans who suffer from mental illness finally are to receive full access to the treatment they need and deserve with out higher co-pays or treatment limits.”
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mental disorders are the leading cause of disability in the United States for individuals ages 15-44. One in every five Americans will experience a mental illness. Yet of the millions of Americans who suffer from a mental health disorder, only one-third receive treatment. The WHO estimates that costs related to untreated mental illness are $147 billion each year in the United States. An analysis of the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act indicates it would result in an increase of less than one percent in premiums and would reduce out-of-pocket costs by 18 percent. Further, a recent article in the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) indicates that employers who actively encourage their employees to use mental health services actually experienced an increase in hours worked and productivity gains.
Last November, Holt held a roundtable on mental health and this legislation with local and national mental health advocates at Carrier Clinic in Belle Meade, New Jersey. Participants addressed the economic and social costs associated with mental health and ways to better meet the needs of the population.
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