[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 124 (Wednesday, September 11, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1561]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         MENTAL HEALTH COVERAGE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. FORTNEY PETE STARK

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 11, 1996

  Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, in the past week, I have introduced two bills 
to improve mental health coverage. On Monday, September 9, I introduced 
the National Mental Health Improvement Act of 1996 which provides 
parity in insurance coverage of mental illness and improves mental 
health services available to Medicare beneficiaries. On September 10, I 
introduced a second mental health bill identical to the bill passed by 
Senator Domenici and others in the Senate on September 5 by a vote of 
82 to 15.
  Today, Representative Louis Stokes offered a motion to instruct the 
House conferees on the VA-HUD appropriations bill to recede to the 
Senate on several key amendments adopted by the Senate to the fiscal 
year 1997 VA-HUD appropriations bill. One key amendment on which the 
motion was based is the mental health amendment offered by Senator 
Domenici--the companion of which I introduced in the House on September 
10. I applaud the efforts of Mr. Stokes and support his motion to 
instruct.
  It is a tragedy that mental health parity was abandoned in the 
Kennedy-Kassebaum health insurance bill, and is a primary reason why I 
voted against the bill. The bills I introduced this week represent an 
urgently needed change in coverage to end discrimination against those 
with mental illness. The denial of equal treatment for the mentally ill 
is not about money--it's only about discrimination. The mental health 
need of all Americans can no longer be ignored.

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