[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 53 (Wednesday, April 27, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S4422]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. CORZINE (for himself, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. Sarbanes, Mr. 
        Johnson, Ms. Landrieu, and Mr. Kennedy):
  S. 927. A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to 
expand and improve coverage of mental health services under the 
medicare program; to the Committee on Finance.
  Mr. CORZINE. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a very 
important piece of legislation, the Medicare Mental Health 
Modernization Act of 2005.
  Our Nation's Medicare beneficiaries--our elderly and disabled 
population--have limited access to mental health services. Medicare 
restricts the types of mental health services available to 
beneficiaries and the types of providers who are allowed to offer such 
care. It also charges higher copayments for mental health services than 
it does for all other health care. In order to receive mental health 
care, seniors and the disabled must pay 50 percent of the cost of a 
visit to their mental health specialist, as opposed to the 20 percent 
that they pay for other services. Medicare also limits the number of 
days a beneficiary can receive mental health care in a hospital setting 
to 190 days over an individual's lifetime.
  We must address this problem. The need is glaring. Almost 20 percent 
of Americans over age 65 have a serious mental disorder. They suffer 
from depression, Alzheimer's disease, dementia, anxiety, late-life 
schizophrenia and, all too often, substance abuse. These are serious 
illnesses that must be treated. Unfortunately, they are often 
unidentified by primary care physicians, or the appropriate services 
are simply out of reach. Americans age 65 and older have the highest 
rate of suicide of any other population in the United States. An 
alarming 70 percent of elderly suicide victims have visited their 
primary care doctor in the month prior to committing suicide.
  Medicare is also the primary source of health insurance for millions 
of nonelderly disabled. More than 20 percent of these individuals 
suffer from mental illness and/or addiction. This very needy population 
faces the same discrimination in their mental health coverage.
  As our population ages, the burden of mental illness on seniors, 
their families, and the health care system will only continue increase. 
Experts estimate that by the year 2030, 15 million people over 65 will 
have psychiatric disorders, with the number of individuals suffering 
from Alzheimer's disease doubling. If we do not reform the Medicare 
program to provide greater access to detection and treatment of mental 
illness, the cost of not treating these diseases will rapidly escalate. 
Without the appropriate outpatient mental health services, too many of 
our seniors are forced into nursing homes and hospitals. If We truly 
want to modernize Medicare and make it more efficient, we must provide 
access to these services. Not only will they likely reduce costs in the 
long term, but they will also increase Medicare beneficiaries' quality 
of life.
  The Medicare Mental Health Modernization Act takes critical steps to 
address these issues. First, the bill reduces the 50 percent copayment 
for mental health services to 20 percent. The proposed 20 percent 
copayment is the same as the copayment for all other outpatient 
services in Medicare. Second, the bill would provide access to 
intensive residential services for those who are suffering from severe 
mental illness. This will give people with Alzheimer's disease and 
other serious mental illness the opportunity to be cared for in their 
homes or in community-based settings. Third, the bill expands the 
number of qualified mental health professionals eligible to provide 
services through the Medicare program. This includes licensed 
professional mental health counselors, clinical social workers, and 
marriage and family therapists. This expansion of qualified providers 
is critical to ensuring that seniors throughout the nation, 
particularly those in rural areas, are able to receive the services 
they need.
  In closing, I urge all of my colleagues to step forward to support 
the Medicare Mental Health Modernization Act of 2005. It is time for 
the Medicare program to stop discriminating against seniors and the 
disabled who are suffering from mental illness.
                                 ______