Published: March 06, 2008 03:18 pm      

Mental disorder help — House could be bringing financial relief

Mental disorder help — House could be bringing financial relief

Mental illnesses can kill. Doubt that? Then have a talk with family members whose loved ones afflicted by such a disease committed suicide, or with a few of the many families who lost loved ones in the Virginia Tech massacre.

Now, there may be some financial relief in sight for those afflicted with mental illnesses seeking treatment.

Late Wednesday night, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act, which would require health insurers to cover mental illness at the same level as physical illnesses.

“For too long disparities in many health plans have placed higher co-payments, additional deductibles, and arbitrary limits on doctor visits for mental health services, making it difficult for people to seek care for these treatable disorders,” said U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., a cosponsor of the bill. “This legislation will help remove these unfair barriers and will provide millions of Americans living with mental illness equal and adequate access to health care services, which is long overdue.”

The bill, which has struggled in Congress for more than a decade, is named after the leading advocate for equality in mental health care, the late Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone, who had a daughter with schizophrenia.

“Illness of the brain must be treated just like illness anywhere else in the body,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California, was quoted in the New York Times, which also reported that supporters of the House bill said it would be a significant assistance to many of the 35 million Americans who experience disabling symptoms of mental disorders each year.

A similar bill that would require equivalence in coverage of mental and physical illnesses has also passed the Senate. Currently, federal law does allow insurers to discriminate.

Legislation passed by the House would require that treatment and financial requirements of mental health coverage offered by group plans be comparable to their medical and surgical benefits, including frequency of visits, days of coverage or other similar limits on the scope or duration of treatment.

It is estimated about 20 percent of the U.S. population has a diagnosable, biologically-based mental disorder in any given year, but only one in three receives treatment, due to the negative stigma and high cost of mental health care, according to information provided by Rahall, citing the U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on Mental Health. Also, the report notes mental illness has been linked to the incidence of high school dropout, homelessness and family violence, as well as declining economic productivity across the nation.

We are encouraged by the overwhelming support of this legislation, which could help thousands — if not millions — of Americans receive much-needed mental health treatment.

We commend Rahall for his support of the bill, and hope this legislation will no longer languish in Congress. The people of this country afflicted with mental illness, and those whose lives they touch, deserve better.