[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 92 (Thursday, June 20, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1121]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              WHY CONGRESS NEEDS THE MENTAL HEALTH BENEFIT

                                 ______


                        HON. FORTNEY PETE STARK

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 19, 1996

  Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, I know it is not fashionable to seek perks 
for Members of Congress, but we desperately, desperately need one--and 
the country would be better for it if we obtained this benefit for 
ourselves.
  We need the mental health parity amendment, because a majority of the 
Members are clearly suffering from severe mental disconnect. As an 
institution, we are in need of treatment.
  I refer, of course, to the insanity of spending long hours trying to 
pass the Kennedy-Kassebaum amendment to improve health insurance 
coverage, while we are also about to pass Medicaid budget cuts which 
will effectively remove health insurance coverage from millions of 
Americans.
  The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the Kennedy-Kassebaum 
bill might help about 550,000 people a year when they switch jobs or 
leave a job which offers health insurance and want to buy a policy of 
their own. It is a nice little bill and justifiably helps many worthy 
people. The Medicaid budget bill, on the other hand, will probably 
reduce Medicaid resources by a quarter of a trillion dollars over the 
next 6 years, and remove the guarantee of adequate health insurance 
from millions of children, parents, and grandparents. Thirty-seven 
million low-income blind, disabled, aged, and low-income children and 
their families are currently covered by Medicaid. Far more people will 
be hurt by the Medicaid cuts than will ever be helped by the Kennedy-
Kassebaum bill.
  If an individual pursued two such diametrically opposed actions, we'd 
say he was unbalanced and should seek professional help. The Senate in 
Kassebaum-Kennedy adopted an amendment to provide basically equal 
coverage of mental and physical health. I understand that that 
provision is being dropped. That is unfortunate. Members of Congress 
could use the help.

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