[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 13 (Thursday, February 5, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S599-S603]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          KEEPING ALIVE THE WORK AND SPIRIT OF PAUL WELLSTONE

  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I would like to use a few minutes of my 
leader time to talk about a remarkable new effort that is being 
launched today to try to develop a broader national consensus about the 
kind of future we want in America and how we can achieve it. It is 
called the Wellstone Civic Dialog Project. It is being organized by 
Wellstone Action, a progressive advocacy organization created by Paul 
and Sheila Wellstone's sons Mark and David to keep their parents' work 
and spirit alive.
  The first meetings will be held this evening. In what may be the 
largest book group ever, thousands of ordinary Americans in 40 States 
will meet in private homes, schools, churches, community centers, 
bookstores, and hundreds of other places to discuss the direction and 
the future of our Nation. Those attending the discussion are encouraged 
to read a book Senator Wellstone wrote which was published the year 
before he died. It is called ``The Conscience Of A Liberal.'' If the 
title evokes memories of another book, it is deliberate.
  In the introduction of his own book, Paul recalled the good-natured 
ribbing some of his Republican colleagues gave him when he attended 
Barry Goldwater's funeral service.

       They gave me Goldwater's ``The Conscience of a 
     Conservative'' to read on the plane. ``Paul,'' they said, 
     ``read this; we read this book at young ages and it set us on 
     the right path. We still have hope for you.''

  Paul replied that he, too, had read Senator Goldwater's book at a 
young age and explained: ``That's why I'm a liberal.''
  ``But,'' he said, ``I also told them that I admired Barry Goldwater 
for his political integrity.''
  More than almost anyone else I have ever known, Paul Wellstone had an 
unshakable faith in the fundamental decency of most people and in the 
genius of democracy. He believed if we

[[Page S600]]

faced our challenges squarely and listened respectfully to each other, 
we would discover that most of us share the same values, the same 
concerns, and the same dreams; that we would also discover the 
solutions and strength to overcome almost any obstacle.
  The Wellstone Civic Dialogue Project is an attempt to bring ordinary 
Americans together to develop a consensus to move America in a more 
humane, more progressive direction. It is what Paul called ``citizen 
democracy.''
  Groups will meet in more than 600 communities throughout America. In 
a touch that I am sure Paul Wellstone and Barry Goldwater would have 
appreciated greatly, in several of the groups self-declared Republicans 
and Democrats have agreed to sit face to face and discuss their ideas 
and values.
  The first meetings, as I said, will take place this evening in more 
than 600 communities throughout America. A topic for tonight's 
discussion is ``Can we dream again?'' It is a reference to a quote by 
Eleanor Roosevelt that Paul loved and preached often. The future will 
belong to those ``who believe in the beauty of their dreams.''
  It is expected that groups will meet as many as eight additional 
times over the next several months to discuss issues ranging from 
education and health care, to domestic violence, money and politics, 
and the war in Iraq. Anyone interested in attending a Civic Dialog 
Project discussion can go to the Wellstone Action Web site, 
www.wellstone.org, to find a discussion group near them or to download 
study guides for any of the discussion topics.
  If there isn't a group in your neighborhood, you might want to 
consider starting one. The Wellstone Action group has trained hundreds 
of volunteer facilitators to help people set up and run discussion 
groups in their own communities.
  Before Paul came to the Senate, he was a political science professor. 
But there was nothing the slightest bit academic or abstract about his 
politics. He used to say: ``People yearn for a `politics of the 
center'--not the `center' so widely discussed by politicians and 
pundits in Washington but, rather, a politics that speaks to the center 
of people's lives: affordable child care, good education for children, 
health security, living-wage jobs that will support families, respect 
for the environment and human rights, and clean elections and clean 
campaigns.
  You can see that yearning today in the record turnouts in 
Presidential caucuses in primaries in Iowa, New Hampshire, and so many 
other States. Instead of questioning each other's character and motives 
and patriotism, people want politicians to talk honestly about the 
concerns at the center of people's everyday lives.
  One of the concerns is the refusal by some insurers to provide fair 
and equitable treatment for people with mental illness. Nothing made 
Paul angrier nor offended him more deeply than the stigma attached to 
mental illness and the discrimination and suffering that people with 
mental health problems suffer as a result of that stigma. He thought it 
was cruel that people with mental health problems often received lesser 
care than those with physical health problems. He was outraged by the 
terrible toll such discrimination often takes on people with mental 
illness and their families. He and Senator Domenici introduced a bill--
now called the Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act--to 
end such discrimination. The bill was reintroduced at the beginning of 
this Congress, but it has been stalled in committee for more than a 
year now because of opposition from the insurance industry and its 
allies.
  Last October, on the first anniversary of the plane crash that killed 
Paul and Sheila, their daughter Marcia, and four others, I asked 
unanimous consent that the Senate take up and pass the Wellstone Mental 
Health and Treatment Act. It would have been the perfect tribute to 
Paul.
  The Republican leadership blocked that request. But they gave us 
their word that the Senate will consider the Wellstone mental health 
bill early this year. I am here to say, very clearly, that Democrats 
intend to hold them to that promise.
  Like tens of millions of Americans, Paul Wellstone knew well the 
anguish that mental illness can cause families.
  Nearly 50 years ago, when his older brother Stephen was a freshman in 
college, he suffered a severe mental breakdown. Stephen Wellstone spent 
the next 2 years in mental hospitals. Eventually, he recovered and 
graduated from college--with honors--in 3 years. But it took his 
immigrant parents 20 years to pay off the bill from those 2 years.
  In his book, Paul recalled the years that Stephen was hospitalized. 
``For two years,'' he wrote, ``the house always seemed dark to me--even 
when the lights were on. It was such a sad home.''
  Fifty years later, there are still far too many sad homes in America; 
there are still far too many families that are being devastated by the 
physical and financial consequences of mental health problems. In many 
cases, they have health insurance. But their insurance companies refuse 
to pay for the mental health care they or their loved ones need.
  I hear from such families every week.
  Three days ago, a woman from Sioux Falls called my office. She is 
about 50. She and her husband have two children, and they have health 
insurance through his job. Years ago, she suffered one of the most 
agonizing losses a person can endure: Her 3-year-old daughter died from 
spinal meningitis.
  She now suffers from chronic depression, which she manages with the 
help of medication and therapy.
  Recently, the cost of her medication jumped from $100 a month to $500 
a month, and her insurance company informed her that she has now hit 
their lifetime cap on mental health benefits, so they will no longer 
pay anything for her medications or her therapy.
  So she and her husband now face a choice: pay the entire cost of her 
prescriptions and her therapy each month, out of pocket, or pay their 
mortgage.
  She was fighting back tears when she called my office. She said, ``If 
I had a heart ailment, they wouldn't think twice about sending me to a 
cardiologist. But there's such a stigma associated with mental 
health.''
  She added, ``This isn't something I've chosen any more than people 
who suffer from diabetes or heart disease chose their conditions.''
  What makes her story even more terrible is how many other people in 
this country are having to fight the same fight, and make the same 
awful choices. No family is untouched by mental health problems. Fifty-
four million Americans suffer from some form of mental illness. They 
include Republicans, Democrats, and people who don't care at all about 
party labels.
  Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici were about as far apart politically 
as two people could be. But they shared a common bond: They both had 
people in their families, who they loved, who were affected by mental 
illness. They were unlikely but great allies.
  In 1996, thanks in large part to their leadership, Congress passed 
the Mental Health Parity Act. It says that group health plans sponsored 
by employers with 50 or more workers cannot place annual or lifetime 
dollars limits on mental health benefits that are more restrictive than 
their limits for physical health care.

  It was an important step forward. But discrimination persists; we 
know that. Some insurers openly disregard the law. Some have found new 
ways to restrict mental health benefits. The results can be 
devastating: unemployment, broken homes, shattered lives, poverty, poor 
school performance--even suicide.
  The Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act does not 
force employers to offer mental health coverage. It simply says that if 
employers offer mental health benefits, insurers cannot provide more 
restrictive coverage for mental health benefits than they do for other 
medical and surgical benefits.
  Some insurers already meet this basic fairness standard. They are to 
be commended for doing the right thing. But others will not do the 
right thing unless they are required by law to do so. So Congress needs 
to act.
  The insurance industry claims--incorrectly--that requiring insurers 
to treat mental illness the same way they treat physical illness will 
drive premiums up so high that more people will lose their health 
insurance. Their claims are not true. They are simply scare tactics; 
we've heard them before.

[[Page S601]]

  The truth is, two highly respected organizations have analyzed the 
Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act. The private 
accounting firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers predicts the bill would 
increase health insurance premiums by one percent. One percent. That 
works out to $1.32 per month. The Congressional Budget Office predicts 
an even smaller average increase: nine-tenths of 1 percent. I think 
most families would consider that was a very good deal.
  Senators Domenici and Wellstone modeled their bill on the mental 
health parity provisions on the Federal Employee Health Benefits 
Program. For 3 years, Senators and the other 8.5 million members of 
that program have had the protection of genuine mental health parity. 
According to the Office of Personnel Management, it has increased 
premiums only 1.3 percent. And that includes parity for substance abuse 
services, which are not included in the Wellstone mental health bill.
  Nearly 2 years ago, President Bush said, ``Our country must make a 
commitment: Americans with mental illness deserve our understanding and 
they deserve excellent care. They deserve a health care system that 
treats their illness with the same urgency as physical illness.'' We 
urge the President to back up his words with leadership.
  The Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act is 
cosponsored by 68 Senators--more than two-thirds of this Senate. It is 
also supported by more than 360 national organizations--90 of which 
have added their support just since October.
  Groups endorsing the Wellstone bill include the American Academy of 
Pediatrics, the Alzheimer's Association, the National PTA, the 
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Catholic Charities, the 
National Association of Counties, the American Medical Association, the 
American Nurses Association, the American Association of Pastoral 
Counselors, the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation, the National 
Rural Health Association, the National Organization on Fetal Alcohol 
Syndrome, and many other groups.
  I ask unanimous consent that the complete list be inserted at the 
close of my remarks in the Congressional Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  (See exhibit 1.)
  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, nearly 50 years after mental illness 
brought such sadness and financial strain to Paul Wellstone, doctors 
and scientists have made great strides in understanding and treating 
many mental health problems. But those advances mean little to those 
who cannot afford them.
  In South Dakota and throughout America, there are still too many 
homes that seem dark even when the lights are on. There are too many 
people who are being denied essential mental health care because of 
arbitrary decisions by insurance companies putting profits ahead of 
people.
  The Wellstone bill can change that. We have a commitment from the 
Majority Leader that the Senate will deal with this issue early this 
year. We are determined to see that that happens.
  I yield the floor.

                               Exhibit 1


361 organizations supporting the paul wellstone mental health equitable 
  treatment act (domenici/kennedy (s. 486) and kennedy/ramstad (h.r. 
                        953)), january 29, 2004

     Advocates for Youth
     Alaska State Medical Association
     Alliance for Aging Research
     Alliance for Children and Families
     Alliance For Mental Health Consumers Rights
     Alzheimer's Association
     American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
     American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery
     American Academy of Family Physicians
     American Academy of Neurology
     American Academy of Ophthalmology
     American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
     American Academy of Pediatrics
     American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
     American Academy of Physician Assistants
     American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law
     American Academy of Sleep Medicine
     American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry
     American Association For Marriage and Family Therapy
     American Association for Psychological Rehabilitation
     American Association for Thoracic Surgery
     American Association of Children's Residential Centers
     American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists
     American Association of Pastoral Counselors
     American Association of Practicing Psychiatrists
     American Association of School Administrators
     American Association of Suicidology
     American Association on Mental Retardation
     American Board of Examiners in Clinical Social Work
     American College of Cardiology
     American College of Chest Physicians
     American College of Emergency Physicians
     American College of Medical Genetics
     American College of Mental Health Administration
     American College of Nurse-Midwives
     American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
     American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
     American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians
     American College of Osteopathic Surgeons
     American College of Physicians
     American College of Preventive Medicine
     American College of Radiology Association
     American College of Surgeons
     American Congress of Community Supports and Employment 
         Services (ACCSES)
     American Counseling Association
     American Diabetes Association
     American Family Foundation
     American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
     American Federation of Teachers
     American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
     American Gastroenterological Association
     American Geriatrics Society
     American Group Psychotherapy Association
     American Heart Association
     American Hospice Foundation
     American Hospital Association
     American Humane Association
     American Jail Association
     American Managed Behavioral Healthcare Association (AMBHA)
     American Medical Association
     American Medical Directors Association
     American Medical Group Association
     American Medical Rehabilitation Providers Association
     American Medical Student Association
     American Mental Health Counselors Association
     American Music Therapy Association
     American Network of Community Options and Resources
     American Nurses Association
     American Occupational Therapy Association
     American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society
     American Orthopsychiatric Association
     American Osteopathic Academy of Orthopedics
     American Osteopathic Association
     American Pediatric Society
     American Political Science Association
     American Psychiatric Association
     American Psychiatric Nurses Association
     American Psychoanalytic Association
     American Psychological Association
     American Psychotherapy Association
     American Public Health Association
     American School Counselor Association
     American School Health Association
     American Society for Adolescent Psychiatry
     American Society for Clinical Pathology
     American Society of Addiction Medicine
     American Society of Anesthesiologists
     American Society of Clinical Oncology
     American Society of Clinical Pharmacology
     American Society of Plastic Surgeons
     American Therapeutic Recreation Association
     American Thoracic Society
     America's HealthTogether
     Anna Westin Foundation
     Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders, Inc.
     Anxiety Disorders Association of America
     Arizona Medical Association
     Arkansas Medical Society
     Association for the Advancement of Psychology
     Association for Ambulatory Behavioral Healthcare
     Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, Inc.
     Association for Science in Autism Treatment
     Association of American Medical Colleges
     Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations
     Association of Jewish Aging Services of North America
     Association of Jewish Family & Children's Agencies
     Association of Material and Child Health Programs
     Association of Medical School Pediatric Department Chairs
     Association of Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Surgeons
     Association of University Centers on Disabilities
     Association to Benefit Children
     Attention Deficit Disorders Association
     Austism Society of America
     Barbara Schneider Foundation
     Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
     Brain Injury Association of America, Inc.
     California Medical Association
     Camp Fire USA
     The Carter Center
     Catholic Charities USA

[[Page S602]]

     Center for the Advancement of Health
     Center for Women Policy Studies
     Center for Disability and Health
     Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice
     Central Conference of American Rabbis
     Chicago Public Schools
     Child & Adolescent Bipolar Foundation
     Child Neurology Society
     Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity 
         Disorder
     Children's Defense Fund
     Children's Healthcare Is a Legal Duty
     Children's Hospital Boston
     Child Welfare League of America
     Crhistopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation
     Church of the Brethren Washington Office
     Clinical Social Work Federation
     Coalition for Juvenile Justice
     College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists
     Colorado Medical Society
     Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism
     Connecticut State Medical Society
     Corporation for the Advancement of Psychiatry
     Council for Exceptional Children
     Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation
     Council on Social Work Education
     County of Santa Clara, CA
     Cure Autism Now
     Dads and Daughters
     Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance
     Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, Inc.
     Disability Service Providers of America
     Division for Learning Disabilities (DLD) of the Council for 
         Exceptional Children
     Easter Seals
     Eating Disorders Coalition for Research, Policy & Action
     Employee Assistance Professionals Association
     Epilepsy Foundation
     Families For Depression Awareness
     Families USA
     Family Violence Prevention Fund
     Family Voices
     Federation of American Hospitals
     Federation of Behavioral, Psychological & Cognitive Sciences
     Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health
     Florida Medical Association
     Freedom From Fear
     Friends Committee on National Legislation (Quaker)
     Harvard Eating Disorders Center
     Hawaii Medical Association
     Human Rights Campaign
     Idaho Medical Association
     Illinois State Medical Society
     Inclusion Research Institute
     Indiana State Medical Association
     Institute for the Advancement of Social Work Research
     International Association of Jewish Vocational Services
     International Association of Psychosocial Rehabilitation 
         Services
     International Community Corrections Association
     International Dyslexia Association
     International Society of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses
     International Spinal Injection Society
     Iowa Medical Society
     Iris Alliance Fund
     Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago
     Johnson Institute
     Joint Council of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology
     Kentucky Medical Association
     Kids Project
     Kristen Watt Foundation for Eating Disorder Awareness
     Latino Behavioral Health Association
     Learning Disabilities Association of America
     Legal Action Center
     Louisiana State Medical Society
     Lutheran Ofc. for Governmental Affairs, Evangelical Lutheran 
         Church in America
     Lutheran Services in America
     Maine Medical Association
     Massachusetts Medical Society
     MedChi, the Maryland State Medical Society
     Medical Association of Georgia
     Medical Association of the State of Alabama
     Medical Group Management Association
     Medical Society of Delaware
     Medical Society of the District of Columbia
     Medical Society of New Jersey
     Medical Society of the State of New York
     Medical Society of Virginia
     Medicare Rights Center
     MentalHealth AMERICA, Inc.
     Michigan State Medical Society
     Minnesota Medical Association
     Mississippi State Medical Association
     Missouri State Medical Association
     Montana Medical Association
     NAADAC, The Association for Addiction Professionals
     National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
     National Alliance for Autism Research
     National Alliance for the Mentally Ill
     National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Affective 
         Disorders
     National Alliance to End Homelessness
     National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health 
         Association
     National Asian Women's Health Organization
     National Assembly of Health and Human Services Organizations
     National Association for the Advancement of Colored People 
         (NAACP)
     National Association for the Advancement of Orthotics & 
         Prosthetics
     National Association for Children's Behavioral Health
     National Association for the Dually Diagnosed
     National Association for Medical Direction of Respiratory 
         Care
     National Association for Rural Mental Health
     National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated 
         Disorders--ANAD
     National Association of Case Management
     National Association of Children's Hospitals
     National Association of Community Health Centers
     National Association of Counties
     National Association of County Behavioral Health Directors
     National Association of County and City Health Officials
     National Association of Developmental Disabilities Councils
     National Association of Mental Health Planning & Advisory 
         Councils
     National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners
     National Association of Protection and Advocacy Systems
     National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems
     National Association of School Nurses
     National Association of School Psychological
     National Association of Social Workers
     National Association of State Directors of Special Education
     National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors
     National Center for Policy Research for Women & Families
     National Center on Institutions and Alternatives
     National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
     National Coalition for the Homeless
     National Coalition of Mental Health Consumers and 
         Professionals
     National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare
     National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare
     National Council of Jewish Women
     National Council of La Raza
     National Council on the Aging
     National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence
     National Council on Family Relations
     National Council on Problem Gambling
     National Council on Suicide Prevention
     National Down Syndrome Congress
     National Down Syndrome Society
     National Eating Disorders Association
     National Educational Alliance for Borderline Personality 
         Disorder
     National Education Association
     National Exchange Club Foundation
     National Foundation for Depressive Illness
     National Health Council
     National Health Law Program
     National Hispanic Medical Association
     National Hopeline Network
     National Housing Conference
     National Latino Behavioral Health Association
     National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty
     National Leadership on African American Behavioral Health
     National League of Cities
     National Medical Association
     National Mental Health Association
     National Mental Health Awareness Campaign
     National Multiple Sclerosis Society
     National Network for Youth
     National Organization for Rare Disorders
     National Organization of People of Color Against Suicide
     National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
     National Osteoporosis Foundation
     National Partnership for Women and Families
     National PTA
     National Recreation and Park Association
     National Rural Health Association
     National Schizophrenia Foundation
     National Senior Citizens Law Center
     National Therapeutic Recreation Society
     National Treatment and Research Advancements Association for 
         Personality Disorder
     Native American Counseling, Inc.
     Nebraska Medical Association
     NETWORK, a Catholic Social Justice Lobby
     Nevada State Medical Association
     New Hampshire Medical Society
     New Mexico Medical Society
     NISH (National Industries for the Severely Handicapped)
     Northamerican Association of Masters in Psychology
     North Carolina Medical Society
     North Dakota Medical Association
     Obsessive Compulsive Foundation
     Office & Professional Employees International Union
     Ohio State Medical Association
     Oklahoma State Medical Association
     Older Adult Consumer Mental Health Alliance
     Oregon Medical Association
     Organization of Student Social Workers
     Partnership for Recovery
     People For the American Way
     Pennsylvania Medical Society
     Presbyterian Church (USA), Washington Office
     Prevent Child Abuse America
     Rebecca Project for Human Rights
     Renfrew Center Foundation
     Rhode Island Medical Society
     Samaritans Suicide Prevention Center

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     School Social Work Association of America
     Service Employees International Union
     Shaken Baby Alliance
     Sjogren's Syndrome Foundation
     Society for Adolescent Medicine
     Society for Pediatric Research
     Society for Personality Assessment
     Society for Public Health Education
     Society for Research on Child Development
     Society for Social Work Research
     Society for Women's Health Research
     Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons
     Society of Medical Consultants to Armed Forces
     Society of Professors of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
     Society of Thoracic Surgeons
     South Carolina Medical Association
     South Dakota State Medical Association
     STOP IT NOW!
     Suicide Awareness Voice of Education
     Suicide Prevention Action Network USA
     Tennessee Medical Association
     Texas Medical Association
     The Arc of the United States
     Title II Community AIDS National Network
     Tourette Syndrome Association
     Treatment and Research Advancements Association of 
         Personality Disorder
     Union of American Hebrew Congregations
     Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations
     United Cerebral Palsy Association
     United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministry
     United Jewish Communities
     United Methodist General Board of Church and Society
     Utah Medical Association
     Vermont Medical Society
     Volunteers of America
     Washington State Medical Association
     Wellstone Action
     West Virginia State Medical Association
     Wisconsin Medical Society
     Working Assets
     Women of Reform Judaism
     Wyoming Medical Society
     Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program
     Youth Law Center

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