[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 111 (Tuesday, July 8, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1401]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      MEDICARE IMPROVEMENTS FOR PATIENTS AND PROVIDERS ACT OF 2008

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. PATRICK J. KENNEDY

                            of rhode island

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 24, 2008

  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6331, the 
Medicare Improvement for Patients and Providers Act. This important 
bill includes mental health parity for Medicare beneficiaries. 
Currently, there is a discriminatory 50-percent copayment requirement 
for mental health services, while a 20-percent copayment exists for 
physical health care services under Medicare.
  As the lead sponsor of H.R. 1424, the Paul Wellstone Mental Health 
and Addiction Equity Act, I am fighting to enact mental health parity 
for individuals who receive their insurance in the private sector. 
Federal employees, including Members of Congress, have had equal access 
to mental health and addiction services since 2001 with little or no 
cost increase. It's time for the private sector and Medicare to join in 
this effort to protect the health of all Americans, regardless of age 
or diagnosis.
  In my home State of Rhode Island, I spend countless hours in senior 
centers and high-rises talking to my constituents, and it's clear that 
there is an epidemic of undiagnosed and untreated mental illness among 
older Americans. In fact, as many as one-quarter of seniors have 
significant clinical depression. But the one thing we must remember is 
that depression does not have to be a byproduct of aging--it isn't 
``normal'' to get depressed as you get older. Allowing mental illness 
to go untreated in our seniors is not only unethical, but it increases 
health care costs, especially for those seniors with depression who are 
unable to manage their chronic illnesses.
  Tragically, only 3 percent of older adults with mental illness ever 
seek mental health treatment. Often, this is due to stigma. Stigma that 
is reinforced by our reimbursement structure that favors the treatment 
of our physical health over our mental health. H.R. 6331 ends this 
stigma by phasing in a 20-percent copayment for Medicare mental health 
services over 6 years. By ending arbitrary and discriminatory financial 
limits and making treatment more affordable, we can ensure that all 
seniors have access to mental health services. I urge my colleagues to 
support H.R. 6331.

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