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Mental Health Parity
MEMORANDUM
March 6, 2008
TO: State Mental Health Program Directors/Commissioners
FROM: Robert W. Glover, Ph.D., Executive Director and Elizabeth Prewitt, Director, Government Relations
RE: House passes mental health parity Wednesday evening (Vote: 268-148)
As anticipated, the House of Representatives gave overwhelming approval (268-148) last night to the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2007 (H.R. 1424), sponsored by Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) and Rep. Jim Ramstad (R-MN). The bill would require that mental health benefits be equal to medical and surgical. A memo to commissioners sent last Friday included a slightly different version of the attached bill summary. NASMHPD's letter of support, which was one of eight letters included in the Speaker's pre-vote package, is posted on our web site at www.nasmhpd.org.
President Bush issued a statement in strong opposition to the House bill, saying the administration could not support "any legislation that expands benefits and remedies beyond what is included in the Senate-passed S. 558." The Senate bill reflects an agreement supported by business, insurers and mental health advocates. After the House vote, one of the chief sponsors of the Senate bill, Senator Pete Domenici (R-NM) indicated that compromises beyond what has already been agreed upon are unlikely. However, Senator Kennedy (D- MA) as well as chief proponents of parity in the House, including the Senator's son Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), voiced a willingness to seek a consensus and pass a bill that can be sent to the President in this Congress. NASMHPD strongly supports passage of mental health parity legislation prior to the future health care reform deliberations.
If you have any questions, please contact Elizabeth Prewitt, NASMHPD's Director of Government Relations, at (703) 682-5196 or via e-mail at elizabeth.prewitt@nasmhpd.org
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Why hasn't parity bill passed yet?
by Shel Gross
director of public policy for Mental Health
America of
Wisconsin, based in
Madison
December 17, 2007
A sharply divided Congress apparently still can't agree on a farm bill. It lacks the votes to override a presidential veto on federal health funding. And it has no single answer on how to get health coverage for America's 47 million uninsured.
The list of pressing issues that lack consensus and appear likely to be deferred to "next year" keeps growing. Read more>>
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