[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 129 (Wednesday, September 18, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1641-E1642]
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

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 18, 1996

  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the motion to 
instruct the conferees on H.R. 3666, Departments of Veterans Affairs 
and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies 
Appropriations Act of 1997, which the House passed on September 11, 
1996. The issues of parity for mental health coverage and allowing a 48 
hours hospital stay for newborns and mothers following child birth are 
extremely timely and relevant.
  As an active participant in the fight for health care reform, I 
continue to believe that all Americans should have the security of 
knowing that they will have health care coverage--regardless of their 
health or economic status.
  Perhaps no group of individuals has faced more discrimination by our 
Nation's health care system than those with mental illnesses. In the 
past 15 years, a revolution has occurred in neurobiology that has 
clearly documented that many of these severe mental illnesses are, in 
fact, physical illnesses. These physical disorders of the brain--
neurobiological disorders--are characterized by neuroanatomical and 
neurochemical abnormalities. Controlled clinical research undertaken by 
scientists across the Nation have produced a body of irrefutable 
scientific evidence documenting the physical nature of these disorders.
  Despite this, individuals with neurobiological disorders and their 
families continue to face discrimination and stigmatization by health 
insurance plans and society at large. I have visited with families who 
have had to cope not only with the emotional pain of dealing the 
neurobiological disorders, such as schizophrenia and autism, but the 
financial hardship as well.
  Health insurance coverage for mental disorders is often limited to 30 
to 60 inpatient days per year, compared with 120 days for physical 
illnesses; copayments, which are usually about 20 percent for physical 
illnesses, are often raised to 50 percent. Because of these arbitrary 
limits on coverage, individuals and families affected by these 
disorders are faced with onerous financial burdens. These people 
deserve the same kind of care and treatment that is available to those 
who suffer from other severe illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, or 
heart disease.
  Families who are faced with severe mental illnesses should not be 
placed in a different category--financially burdened, stigmatized, and 
treated as if they had done something wrong.
  On June 8, 1995, I introduced the Equitable health Care for 
Neurobiological Disorders Act of 1995. My bill would help these 
individuals and their families by requiring nondiscriminatory treatment 
of neurobiological disorders. Health care plans would be required to 
provide coverage that is not more restrictive than coverage provided 
for other major physical illnesses and that is consistent with 
effective and common methods of controlling health care costs--such as 
copayments and deductibles. My bill also stipulates specific benefits 
that must be provided and assesses a penalty on those plans that do not 
comply with the Act's requirements.
  I believe that the provisions included in the Senate's version of the 
VA/HUD appropriations bill is a strong start toward achieving equity 
for those who truly suffer from mental illness. Requiring equal health 
coverage for these disorders is not just important to individuals 
suffering from neurobiological disorders and their families. it is also 
important to the Nation. According to the National Institutes of Mental 
Health, equitable insurance coverage for severe mental disorders will 
yield $2.2 billion in net savings each year through decreased use of 
general medical services and a substantial decrease in social costs.
  I also strong support the provision included in the Senate VA/HUD 
appropriations bill requiring health plan coverage for a minimum 
hospital stay of 48 hours for newborns and mothers following 
childbirth.
  I have spoken with Wilfred Reguero, M.D., the chairman of the St. 
Raphael OB/Gyn Department, and other hospital staff at a trip to St. 
Raephael's Hospital in my district. They told me of the dangers of 
early discharges for new mothers and their infants--discharges that are 
dictated by certain insurance companies, not doctors. The decision to 
discharge a new mother and her child should be based on medical 
criteria, not on the bottom line.
  According to reports published by the University of California San 
Francisco and Dartmouth's Hitchcock Medical Center, a post-delivery 
hospital stay of 24 hours or less means infants are not adequately 
tested and monitored by medical professionals for conditions that 
appear in the first few days of life, including jaundice and excessive 
weight loss. The reports found that mothers also experience medical 
difficulties, including lactation difficulties, urinary tract 
infections, incisional pain and post-partum pain and depression.
  I have cosponsored two bills H.R. 1948 and 1950 which would require 
health plans to provide maternity benefits for a minimum hospital stay 
for a mother and her newborn following the birth of her child. The 
bills do not mandate the length of hospital stays, but requires that 
longer stays are covered if deemed necessary by a woman, her family, 
and her physician. The legislation includes:
  A minimum stay of 48 hours for vaginal deliveries and 96 hours for 
caesarean-section deliveries.
  An exception for home births.
  A requirement for health plans to provide written notice to enrollees 
regarding coverage included in the act.
  I know that many States, including Connecticut, are pursuing similar 
laws, but we need Federal legislation to make sure that women who are 
covered by health insurance companies that are headquartered in other 
Sates are protected under the law. That's why I am so pleased that this 
legislation was included in the Senate VA/HUD appropriations bill and 
should be included in the final VA/HUD appropriations bill as well.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting these instructions. 
Adoption of these policies will go a long way toward saving billions or 
dollars, eliminating the stigma and misunderstanding so often 
associated with

[[Page E1642]]

neurobiological disorders, and ensuring that all mothers and babies are 
adequately cared for.

                          ____________________