Mental Health Notes - News, Education and Advocacy

Here’s The Deal: Congress Passes Mental Health Parity Legislation

by Alicia Sparks, Mental Health Notes on October 6th, 2008

So, by now you’ve undoubtedly heard Congress passed Mental Health Parity. Actually, Congress passed the Paul Wellstone-Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, and they did so right along with the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act (HR 1424) and a bunch of other stuff, I hear.

There’s some slight controversy surrounding the bill, how it was passed, and the fact that it was passed at all. Around the ‘net I’ve read complaints that the bill isn’t fair, it shouldn’t have been thrown in with the bailout bill, and - my favorite - “Now our premiums are going to go up.”

Here’s the deal:

No, the Paul Wellstone-Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 isn’t 100% fair. It doesn’t include businesses with fewer than 50 employees, so, that really sucks for those employees. And, to my understanding, it also doesn’t include individual health insurance policies either. It’s not perfect - very few things are on the first go ’round - but even with these flaws, it’s a step in the right direction. It has taken six years for this to pass - can you imagine how long it would have taken to pass a more comprehensive version (i.e. one that benefits more people)? So, the way I see it, once we have this in place, we’ll have a solid launching pad for moving forward.

Yes, the Senate folded it in with other legislation before passing it all on to President Bush. People are upset, but really, they should stop acting surprised. This isn’t the first time something like this has happened. Is it a good or bad thing? I don’t know; I’m not an expert. I am, however, glad it’s gotten this far - regardless of the means.

Premiums may indeed go up in order for businesses to be able to provide all this extra equal coverage. And…did you expect anything else? Additional services generally cost additional money. It’s just common sense. Again, it’s not perfect (especially during these hard economic times), but very few things are in the beginning. If you’re ticked off about possibly having to pay higher premiums, I have two things to say to you:

1. Your brain is an organ, just like your heart, and mental health is a part of overall health. If your current health insurance policy doesn’t cover mental health services, or offers inadequate mental health coverage compared to physical health coverage - newsflash - you’re kind of getting screwed. You wouldn’t be happy with health insurance that didn’t cover heart-related problems, or stomach problems, or kidney problems, would you? Why be happy with something that doesn’t cover mental health?
2. If you’re upset about possibly having to pay extra for coverage you think you don’t need…well, hello, chances are you’re already doing that. Isn’t that kind of what health insurance is? Paying into coverage that you may need at some point? You’re not in a car accident right now, but your health insurance policy probably covers such emergency services. You’re not having a heart attack right now, but your policy undoubtedly includes the care to keep you alive. So, even if you’re not experiencing mental health problems right now, statistically one in every four Americans meets diagnosis criteria for a mental illness during any given year. If the day ever comes that your mind (or your spouse’s or child’s or parent’s) decides to split right down the middle, you’ll be glad this legislation is in place.

So, what do you think about this mental health parity legislation? Happy? Upset? Indifferent?

For more news about Congress passing the Paul Wellstone-Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, check out:

• Mental Health America Hails Approval of Federal Parity Legislation
• Congress Passes Historic Mental Health Parity Bill
• Congress Passes Mental Health Parity Legislation
• Senate Folds Mental Health Parity Into Wall Street Bailout Bill

Image: SXC

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POSTED IN: Government & Politics