News from CHADD
Volume 3, Number 12

CHADD URGES CONGRESS TO PASS COMPREHENSIVE MENTAL HEALTH PARITY BILL
Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act of 2003 Introduced


At a Capitol Hill briefing last Thursday, mental health advocates and a
bipartisan group of Senate and House members renewed their efforts to
gain comprehensive mental health parity, calling for the passage of the
newly-introduced Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act of
2003 (S. 486/H.R. 953).


Sens. Pete Domenici (R-NM) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA), and Reps. Jim
Ramstad (R-MN) and Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), introduced the bill with 24
Senators and 162 House members as original cosponsors. The bill, which
contains the same text as last year's parity bill, requires that health
insurance coverage of mental disorders be equal to coverage of physical
disorders. The legislation is modeled on the mental health benefits
program for federal employees and expands the landmark Mental Health
Parity Act of 1996.


CHADD Director of Communications and Media Relations Peg Nichols spoke
at the briefing about her family's experience with severe mental illness
and the lack of adequate health insurance coverage.


CHADD urges all members of Congress to support this legislation and
finally eliminate insurance discrimination against people with mental
disorders. Sen. Domenici, co-author of the 1996 parity law, pledges to
push for passage of the comprehensive parity legislation early in 2003.
Federal parity legislation enjoyed widespread bipartisan support in last
year's Congress, and the majority of these supporters are back this year
in the 108th Congress. Sen. Domenici said he fully expects President
Bush to actively work with Congress to enact comprehensive legislation
this year.



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