Mental-health-parity bill clears U.S. House

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill requiring health-insurance providers nationwide to cover mental-health treatment on an equal basis with medical care, a concept known as mental-health parity.

U.S. Rep. Brian Baird, D-Vancouver, a former clinical psychologist and one of the bill's original co-sponsors, praised its passage Tuesday by a bipartisan two-thirds majority, saying it will benefit millions of Americans who suffer from addiction and mental illness.

The House bill is called the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act. The Senate included similar legislation in a massive tax-relief bill it passed Tuesday. The two versions must be reconciled before Congress adjourns for the election or the measure will die.

"For years I have been advocating for this and we couldn't even get a hearing," Baird said. That changed after Democrats gained control of the House, he said.

The bill has strong support in the Senate, he said, because it is a top priority of Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., who is suffering from brain cancer.

"Everyone has a family member, friend or co-worker who has been affected by mental illness," Baird, a Vancouver Democrat, said in a statement. "We know that treatment is effective and it can improve people's lives. And we know that it's cost-effective from an economic standpoint. What's unacceptable is when insurance companies deny treatment to people who have health insurance. That stops with this bill."

According to the Government Accountability Office, almost 90 percent of health-care plans impose financial limitations and treatment restrictions on mental-health and addiction care. Many states, including Washington, require mental health to be included in insurance plans, but no federal standard for mental-health-care coverage exists.