[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 134 (Wednesday, September 25, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1691-E1692]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             WE CAN NO LONGER WAIT FOR MENTAL HEALTH PARITY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. PETER A. DeFAZIO

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 24, 1996

  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, Americans are tired of being discriminated 
against by their insurance company. Mental health parity language 
included in the VA-HUD appropriation bill was recently endorsed by an 
overwhelming majority in the House. Nearly five million men, women and 
children suffer from a severe mental illness. Yet, only 2 percent of 
the mentally ill receive insurance coverage. Unfortunately, greed seems 
to be the driving force behind efforts to deprive so many of our 
friends, relatives and neighbors of this basic care.
  We cannot wait any longer to subject mental health benefits to the 
same annual and lifetime caps as those for physical health. Currently, 
private insurers place lifetime limits of $1 million for cancer, heart 
disease, diabetes, and tuberculosis but lifetime limits on mental 
illness is typically set at $50,000 or less. This

[[Page E1692]]

disparity is a straightforward solution that will provide financial 
relief.
  A study conducted by Coopers & Lybrand indicates that mental parity 
legislation would save over $16 million in Medicaid costs annually. 
People who exhaust their current health care benefits are forced to 
fall back on the Federal health care system. This is certainly not my 
idea of responsible fiscal management of our public health care. 
America's insurance companies can well afford to equalize caps for both 
mental and medical conditions. We have waited long enough for this 
comprehensive, financially prudent approach to health care reform. By 
providing parity for mental health benefits, we are helping millions of 
Americans move closer toward meaningful recovery. I urge all of my 
colleagues to listen to the voices of concerned citizens and guarantee 
mental health parity for all those in need of long-term treatment.

                          ____________________