MEDIA ADVISORY, Monday, September 19, 2007
CONTACT: Yoni Cohen, Stark (202) 225-3202

Washington, D.C. –Representative Pete Stark (D-CA), Chairman of the Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, delivered the following opening remarks at today's mark up of the the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act (H.R. 1424).

"I’m pleased to be here today to move forward an important piece of legislation, the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act.

As my colleagues know, this bill is named for one of its chief proponents – the late Senator Paul Wellstone of Minnesota – a true champion for all people, and especially those who suffer from mental illness and addiction. One of its chief proponents in the House is our colleague Jim Ramstad, who serves with us here on this Subcommittee, and who recently announced that he will retire after this term in office.

Enacting this legislation is vitally important to millions of Americans who suffer from these illnesses. It is also a fitting tribute to Senator Wellstone’s and Representative Ramstad’s service to our nation.

As I said at our hearing on this bill, we’ve come a long way in our diagnosis and treatment of mental illness and substance abuse. Unfortunately, laws governing mental health treatment have not progressed as quickly. Health insurers typically discriminate against people who need mental health or substance abuse treatment by imposing higher copayments, limited hospitalization periods, and lower annual and lifetime caps on mental health and addiction benefits. These limitations mean many people don’t get the health care they need.

This bill stops that discrimination. It does so by requiring health plans to provide parity for the provision of mental health benefits. If plans offer mental health or addiction benefits, they would be prohibited from imposing discriminatory annual or lifetime benefit limits, copayments and deductibles, or day and visit limits -- unless similar limitations or requirements are imposed for medical or surgical benefits.

Congress has already provided mental health parity for ourselves in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. The House recently passed the Children’s Health and Medicare Protection Act, which will extend mental health parity in Medicare. The Paul Wellstone Mental Health Addiction Act simply finishes what we’ve begun and extends those protections to the private health insurance marketplace as well.

It has broad-based bipartisan support with 270 cosponsors in the House and is endorsed by hundred of organizations representing patients, families, and mental health and addiction treatment providers.

Again, I’m pleased to be part of the progress toward mental health parity and I now turn to my ranking Member, Dave Camp, for his introductory comments."