Mental Health
Mental health services are a crucial part of our health care needs. The late Senator Paul Wellstone was a champion for mental health issues and I am working to continue his legacy. I’m very pleased that the Wellstone-Domenici Mental Health Parity Act was signed into law in 2008. This historic law requires insurers who offer mental health and substance abuse coverage to cover these services at the same level as medical and surgical benefits. This diminishes the stigma associated with mental health and improves access to mental health services. I’m proud that our nation’s new health reform law will bring us even further by requiring that all health plans offer mental health and substance abuse services by 2014.
