House Passes Mental Health Parity Legislation as Part of Financial Rescue Package
Washington, D.C. --- U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, today lauded House passage of mental health parity legislation as part of the financial rescue package.
"The rescue package passed today by the House includes important legislation that will establish full mental health and addiction care parity. I have been fighting for mental health parity for more than a year when the issue was first addressed in the Subcommittee on Health.
"One out of every five adults in the United States suffers from mental health or substance abuse disorders on an annual basis. Yet, studies show that people with mental illnesses continue to face insurers and employers unwilling to provide them the same levels of care they would for a medical problem.
"Today, we are ensuring equity in coverage for mental illness and substance abuse disorders by requiring that group health plans with mental health coverage offer that coverage without the imposition of discriminatory financial requirements or discriminatory treatment limitations.
"This legislation allows those individuals and families struggling to cope with the diverse array of mental illnesses to have greater access to affordable care in order to alleviate the tremendous burden that these conditions can cause."