[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 95 (Tuesday, June 25, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1161-E1162]
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

                         Tuesday, June 25, 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, and 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.

[[Page E1162]]

  The Congressional Budget Office estimates that 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 
Kennedy-Kassebaum adopted an amendment to provide basically equal 
coverage of mental and physical health. I understand that that 
provision is being dropped. It is unfortunate. Members of Congress 
could use help.

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