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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by jrbecker76 on September 21, 2007, at 6:30:47
Senate Passes Mental Health Parity Legislation
Main Category: Mental Health News
Article Date: 21 Sep 2007 - 4:00 PDTThe Senate on Tuesday night by unanimous consent passed legislation (S 558) that would require health insurers to provide the same level of coverage for treatment of mental illnesses as they do for physical illnesses, the AP/San Francisco Chronicle reports (Frommer, AP/San Francisco Chronicle, 9/18).
The bill would exempt companies with fewer than 50 employees. In addition, the bill would exempt group health plans and companies in the event that the cost of coverage for treatment of mental illnesses and substance abuse exceeded 2% of the total plan cost in the first year or 1% in each subsequent year. The legislation would not pre-empt state mental health parity laws (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 2/15).
Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), one of the bill's three co-sponsors, said, "The passage tonight of the mental health parity bill underscores our commitment to treat all patients facing all diseases with the dignity and respect they deserve," adding, "This new legislation will bring dramatic new help to millions of Americans who today are denied needed mental health care and treatment."
House Vote Urged
Earlier on Tuesday, supporters of the House mental health parity bill (HR 1424) "inundated" the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), urging her to schedule a vote on the House bill, according to the AP/Chronicle. Brendan Daly, a Pelosi spokesperson, said she supports the legislation, which has 270 co-sponsors, and has a realistic vote date of mid-October.Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.), who co-sponsored the House Bill along with Rep. Jim Ramstad (R-Minn.), said, "That's not just another public policy issue," adding, "That's a life-or-death issue for millions of Americans." He predicts the House bill will pass before the end of the year (AP/San Francisco Chronicle, 9/18).
Rep. Kennedy added he would rather wait until after the next election to push the House legislation than accept the Senate version. However, he acknowledged that parity proponents likely would not want to wait until 2009 to pass a law (CongressDaily, 9/19). Ramstad, who this week announced that he will not seek re-election next year, said, "That's the most important legacy I could leave to literally millions of Americans, and we're going to get that done" (AP/San Francisco Chronicle, 9/18).
Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation© 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
Posted by Phillipa on September 21, 2007, at 12:26:17
In reply to Senate Passes Mental Health Parity Legislation, posted by jrbecker76 on September 21, 2007, at 6:30:47
Does it include medicaire? Phillipa
Posted by olysi79 on September 21, 2007, at 14:47:28
In reply to Senate Passes Mental Health Parity Legislation, posted by jrbecker76 on September 21, 2007, at 6:30:47
Medicaid is a federally sponsored program...I am not sure how this question pertains to this bill in question...then again, I do not know anything about medicaid or medicare at all.
Now, back to the original topic.... I wonder if providers will try to skirt around this. Will this change caps on visits to therapists, stays in inpatient facilities... I am optimistic, yet skeptical because there are many ways in which this bill can be skirted around. it is a step in the right direction because there are more opportunities for recovery from mental illness without such limits imposed. Kudos!
Posted by curiousfish on September 23, 2007, at 16:36:21
In reply to Senate Passes Mental Health Parity Legislation, posted by jrbecker76 on September 21, 2007, at 6:30:47
how exciting!! thank you so much for sharing. im very interested in mental health advocacy and this has been one of the forefront issues!
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