[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 128 (Tuesday, September 17, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1617]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




APPOINTMENT OF CONFEREES ON H.R. 3666, DEPARTMENTS OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 
      AND HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, AND INDEPENDENT AGENCIES 
                        APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 1997

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. PETER G. TORKILDSEN

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 11, 1996

  Mr. TORKILDSEN. Mr. Speaker, I would like the record to show my 
strong support for the Stokes' motion to instruct VA/HUD appropriation 
conferees. This motion instructed House conferees to accept the Senate 
amendments related to mental health parity and post-partum insurance 
coverage.
  I was not present during voting on September 11, but had I been 
present, I would have voted for the motion. The motion passed with an 
overwhelming bi-partisan majority.
  Both provisions provide for a healthy future for some or our Nation's 
most vulnerable citizens. The first prevents insurers from limiting 
coverage through higher copayments, fewer visits or shorter hospital 
stays simply because the individual is treated for mental illness. 
Mental health parity is a matter of basic fairness.
  The National Advisory Mental Health Council [NAMHC] reported to 
Congress in 1993 that parity coverage of treatment of severe mental 
illness would actually save the national economy $2.2 billion a year in 
reduced absenteeism, increased productivity, and reduced general health 
care cost. The MIT Sloan School of Management reported in 1995 that 
clinical depression costs American employers $28.8 billion a year.
  The initial reports from the Medicaid Mental Health Project in my 
home State of Massachusetts find similar savings attributable to the 
implementation of a more competitive, flexible approach to the 
provision of mental illness treatment services: five percent increase 
in persons using services; 22 percent reduction in overall 
expenditures; and a more competitive array of services offered.
  Our Nation pays a high price for ignoring mental illness. Severe 
mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, manic depressive illness, and 
severe depression, affect 2.8 percent of the adult population and 
account for approximately 25 percent of all Federal disability 
payments. This Congress has recognized and acted on the fact that 
mental illness is as severe as physical illness.
  This motion also provides critical insurance protections for newborns 
and their mothers. I am a proud cosponsor of H.R. 3226, the Newborns' 
and Mothers' Health Protection Act, which mandates hospital insurance 
coverage of 48 hours for a vaginal delivery and 96 hours for a 
caesarean section, the standards set by the American College of 
Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Academy of Pediatrics. 
It does not mandate how long mothers and babies should remain in the 
hospital; it does not dictate medical care--it simply enables it to be 
practiced.
  Twenty-nine States have already enacted legislation to end the so-
called drive-through deliveries, but Federal legislation is necessary 
to provide uniform standards for all States and extend protections to 
those covered under ERISA plans. The legislation would not, however, 
pre-empt State law.
  By providing a healthy start for all newborns, we are insuring 
healthy future for our Nation.

                          ____________________