Senate Bill S.558 moved forward in
Congress on Wednesday. The bill would require health insurers to
cover more of the costs of treating mental health conditions.
S.558 has wide backing from employers and insurers.
The Mental Health Parity Act of 2007
cleared the Senate's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and
now goes to the full Senate for a vote.
"The bill requires health insurance
plans that offer mental health coverage to provide that coverage on par
with financial and treatment coverage offered for other physical illnesses
like heart disease, diabetes or asthma," Republican New Mexico Sen. Pete
Domenici's office said in a statement.
"The 1996 Mental Health Parity law only
provided parity for annual and lifetime limits between mental health
coverage and medical surgical coverage. The new bill expands parity by
including deductibles, co-payments, out-of-pocket expenses, coinsurance,
covered hospital days, and covered out-patient visits."
Mental health advocates have long
complained that insurers don't offer sufficient coverage to patients with
conditions ranging from depression to schizophrenia.
"The fact is that this is a good
compromise measure that will bring hope and help to millions of
Americans," Domenici, a sponsor of the bill, said in a statement.
An exemption for companies with fewer
than 50 employees is offered by the bipartisan bill.
"This bill closes longstanding gaps in
law that limit people's access to needed mental health care," said Pamela
Greenberg, chairwoman of The Coalition for Fairness in Mental Illness
Coverage.
For a complete
outline of the Senate Bill S.552 take this link.
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