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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 5, 2008
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Contact: Zach Goldberg
202-225-5801 (office) |
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WITH HOLT’S SUPPORT, HOUSE PASSES MENTAL HEALTH PARITY LEGISLATION
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(Washington, D.C.) – Rep. Rush Holt (NJ-12) today joined a majority of the U.S. House of Representatives to pass the “Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2007,” legislation that would require insurance companies to provide equal benefits for mental health and substance abuse treatment as are provided for physical medical treatment. The bill would cover mental illness at the same level as physical illness for 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 have taken a significant step toward finally ending the insurance discrimination that has existed for decades against people with mental illness,” Holt said. “It will be a landmark day when we realize that health is not just about fixing broken bones. Millions of Americans suffer from mental illness of some form, conditions that disrupt a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others, and daily functioning. Mental illnesses strain families and can contribute to lost productivity, unemployment, substance abuse, homelessness, or suicide. Few Americans are untouched by it. No one is immune.”
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 44 million 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.
“Ultimately, despite the economic arguments in favor of parity, it is not a debate about dollars and cents, but about lives saved and people restored,” Holt said. “I recently received a letter from a constituent who wrote me as the sister of a brother who committed suicide one day after his in-patient mental health care benefit ‘ran-out’. She understood and related to me not only the human resources concerns, but also and especially, the true cost of mental health and the failure to enact mental health parity. We should finish our work to ensure that those who need access to mental health care, get it.”
The bill will now go to a conference committee with the Senate version.
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