In a historic vote on March 5, 2008, the U.S. House of Representatives passed, by an overwhelming vote of 268 to 148, the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act (H.R. 1424).
The American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA) commends the authors of the bill, Reps. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) and Jim Ramstad (R-MN), both of whom have battled mental illness and substance abuse, for the bipartisan spirit in which this legislation was introduced and for their hard work in shepherding H.R. 1424 through the House.
Under the bill, group health plans must ensure that any financial requirements, such as deductibles, co-payments, co-insurance and out-of-pocket expenses, are no more restrictive or costly than those required for comparable medical and surgical benefits. H.R. 1424 only applies to insurers and group health plans that provide mental health benefits and does not require plans that do not currently offer mental health benefits to do so.
The Senate passed its version of mental health parity legislation, S. 558, the Mental Health Parity Act of 2007, by voice vote on September 18, 2007.
"AMHCA applauds the House passing this legislation to make mental health and substance abuse treatment services more widely available to our nation's citizens," said AMHCA President Gary Gintner, PhD., LPC, NCC. "We urge a House-Senate conference committee be quickly convened to reconcile differences in the House and Senate measures and look forward to working with the 110th Congress to ensure its ultimate enactment."