[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 40 (Monday, March 10, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E339]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E339]]
     PAUL WELLSTONE MENTAL HEALTH AND ADDICTION EQUITY ACT OF 2007

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. HILDA L. SOLIS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 5, 2008

  Ms. SOLIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1424, 
the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2007.
  As a society, we must fight for the rights of people who seek mental 
health and substance abuse treatment.
  Vulnerable individuals with mental illnesses continue to face 
numerous barriers when seeking care, and we must work together to 
remove these barriers especially for diverse communities.
  Latinos already have lower rates of employer-sponsored health 
insurance and lower rates of insurance with mental health coverage.
  In California, 77 percent of Latinos' mental health treatment was 
covered by their insurance, compared to 85 percent of Whites.
  The Supplement to the Report of the Surgeon General on Mental Health 
found that
  Latinos with mental disorders underutilize mental health services.
  Fewer than 1 in 11 Latinos with a mental disorder seeks help with a 
mental health specialist.
  We must do more to help people with mental health disorders and 
addiction.
  I hope that mental health parity will help reduce barriers to their 
care, such as coverage, stigma and discrimination to mental health 
care.
  We cannot let insurers continue to discriminate against which 
diagnoses should be covered and which ones are not.
  We should not compromise our efforts to stop the persistent 
discrimination in our mental health and substance abuse health care 
system.
  This bill is a step forward for people who suffer from mental 
illnesses and for their families, but we in Congress must do more to 
enable the millions of Americans to receive the mental health care they 
need and deserve.
  I urge my colleagues to vote in support of this landmark legislation.

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