Congresswoman Lee Applauds Passage of Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act
Press Release
For Immediate Release: Septermber 23, 2008
Contact: Ricci Graham
(510) 763-0370
(Washington, DC)- Today Congresswoman Barbara Lee issued the following statement in support of the Wellstone-Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (H.R. 6983) , which passed the House by a vote of 376-47:
“Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6983, the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, to require equity in mental health and substance-related disorders under group health plans.
“I want to thank Representative Patrick Kennedy for his leadership in developing and negotiating the passage of this critical law.
“It’s also right that this bill be named in honor of Senator Domenici and our friend, the late Senator Paul Wellstone. Senator Wellstone was truly a champion for mental health and this Act honors his memory.
“As a former psychological social worker, I appreciate the necessity of mental health parity and the significance of this bill. Many diseases go hand in hand with depression, substance abuse, and a variety of other mental health issues that cannot go untreated.
“For example, when a person is diagnosed with cancer or HIV, they and their families go through a range of emotional responses. To treat only the physical signs of illness is to ignore the broad ranging emotional implications of a disease.
“Currently, companies can limit both the number of visits that a person makes to a mental health professional in a year and the network of doctors a patient can see, even where no such limit exists for medical or surgical benefits. That is ridiculous.
Disease treatment must provide individuals with the ability to adapt their lifestyle and manage the changes associated with their illness. Whether it is anxiety, stress, or even stigma—the diagnosis of a disease always impacts an individual’s mental health. To downplay the necessity of mental health care in treatment is simply counterproductive.
“By enacting this bill to require mental health parity, we take a crucial step forward in guaranteeing that our constituents can access the level of health care that they need. I believe however, that fundamentally, we need to move to a universal health care system.
“Additionally, the Act prohibits insurance companies from charging different rates for deductibles, copayments, coinsurance, and out-of-pocket expenses for mental health.
“These commonsense changes will help expand access to mental health services throughout the country, and I am pleased to support them.
“I urge the president to sign HR 6983, the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act and to recognize that mental health care is a crucial tool in promoting the overall health and well-being of the American people.”
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