It's far past time for Congress to enter the present reality and join the conversation about the importance of mental health issues in this country. Thanks to the midterm elections, it looks like this might finally happen.
From the AP:
WASHINGTON - After years of trying, advocates think they have a good chance of getting Congress to pass legislation next year that would require equal health insurance coverage for mental and physical illnesses, if their policies include both.
The road this bill has traveled has been ugly and wrought with obstacles, all from Republicans:
The legislation, named for the late Sen. Paul Wellstone, a Minnesota Democrat who championed the cause, has strong support in Congress but has run into GOP roadblocks. In the last congressional session, 231 House members — more than half of the chamber — signed on as co-sponsors. The GOP leadership, which in the past had expressed concern that the proposal would drive up health insurance premiums, wouldn't bring it up for a vote.
In 2003, Senate Democrats tried to win passage of the bill as a tribute to Wellstone, who died in a plane crash the previous year. Republicans blocked an attempt to pass it by unanimous consent.
I think it's absolutely vital to highlight here that while the Republican controlled Congress was debating such contemptuous, insolent legislation like gay marriage and flag burning, a bill that would have significantly improved the lives of Americans suffering from mental health problems was rotting away or being upended.
Thankfully it's a different ballgame now:
Kennedy's lead co-sponsor, Minnesota Republican Jim Ramstad, said a "silver lining" to the Democrats winning both houses of Congress is the increased chances of passing the bill, known as mental health parity.
"The Republican leadership would not give us a vote," said Ramstad, a recovering alcoholic who has pushed for improved treatment for those with alcohol and drug dependency.
Ramstad said that incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has told him the bill will come up for a vote on the House floor, which Pelosi spokesman Brendan Daly confirmed.
"We need to deal as a nation with America's No. 1 health problem," Ramstad said. "It's not only the right thing to do, but the cost-effective thing do."
Prospects have also improved in the Senate. Incoming Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., is a big backer of mental health parity, as is Kennedy's father, Massachusetts Democrat Edward M. Kennedy, who will chair the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee next year.
Sen. Pete Domenici (news, bio, voting record), R-N.M., who worked with Wellstone on the legislation, called the bill one of his top priorities in the next Congress.
So clearly the more level-headed Republicans out there get it, and there is some significant bipartisan support. Here's what it comes down to:
A 1996 law already prohibits health plans that offer mental health coverage from setting lower annual and lifetime spending limits for mental treatments than for physical ailments. But backers want to see that expanded to things like co-payments, deductibles and limits on doctor visits.
This is what it's all about folks and I really hope the Dems pick up on this for the 2008 election cycle. Most conservatives (obviously excluding the kind of Republicans that support this bill) DO NOT improve the lives of ordinary Americans. Whether that is a wanton and malicious act, or just irresponsibility and incompetence does not excuse it. Democrats want to improve peoples lives. Republicans prevent and even assault this goal. When this is brought to the forefront of the national attention and made a part of the national dialog there is really no reason that Democrats should not keep gaining support from all corners of the country.
Again, just look at how simple this issue is, yet many Republicans foiled it:
He added: "We believe the brain is an organ like any other, and coverage should be equitable. Treatment is effective."
David L. Shern, president and CEO of Mental Health America (formerly the National Mental Health Association), said cost should not be a concern. He pointed to a study this year in the
New England Journal of Medicine, which found that the government's decision to provide parity to federal employees in their health insurance plans did not drive up the cost of mental health care.
"I'm hoping we have nailed all of the concerns," Shern said. "It's the right thing to do, we have the data that says it's affordable, so our hope is this will be the year to set this benchmark nationally."
(all emphasis mine)
We need to think of the veterans when we finally bring them back from the nightmare of Iraq. Things like this go a ways to giving them hope. Not to mention the millions and millions of Americans suffering from depression, bipolar disorder, substance abuse problems, and the myriad other mental health conditions that have been marginalized by our government.
Please call/write/petition your local representatives and elected leaders to ensure that they understand this is a national concern. Even though the prospects look very good right now, we can plainly see how hard the Republicans in Congress have fought against this bill in the past. We need to keep pressure and demand that mental health parity becomes a reality for everyone.