[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 151 (Tuesday, September 23, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9262-S9263]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  PAUL WELLSTONE AND PETE DOMENICI MENTAL HEALTH PARITY AND ADDICTION 
                               EQUITY ACT

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, something happened on the floor of the 
Senate moments ago which was a long time in the making. We passed a 
bill, the mental health parity bill, that has been debated in this 
Chamber for 10 years or more.
  The reason I come to the floor today, after its passage, is to note 
one of the Members of the Senate who was an inspiration for this bill. 
His name was Paul Wellstone. Six years ago, he died in a plane crash, 
running for election in the State of Minnesota. He used to sit in the 
back row over here and at a corner desk. He had an especially long cord 
for his microphone, and he used to wander all up and down the aisle 
talking. It was a sight to behold--a short, little fellow, and because 
of his passion for college wrestling, his back was all beat up and he 
kind of hobbled around. But he had a heart of gold, and he was one of 
these people you loved to be serving with because he brought out the 
best in you.

  The last time I ever saw him was here in the well of the Senate on 
the night of the vote authorizing the war in Iraq. He was one of 23 of 
us who voted against it.
  I knew he was going home to Minnesota to face a tough election, and I 
said to him: I hope this doesn't cost you the election, Paul.
  He said: It is all right if it does. This is what I believe. This is 
what Minnesota expects of me. And whatever happens, I am all right.
  That was the last conversation I had with him. Within days, he died 
in a plane crash.
  When we returned after a memorial service and a lot of heartfelt 
expressions of sympathy for him and his wife Sheila, who died, as well 
as members of their staff, there was always a question about, what is a 
fitting tribute to Paul Wellstone for a great, inspiring legislative 
career? Those of us who knew him knew the last thing in the world he 
would ever want is a statue or a bridge named after him or a post 
office--just not the kind of thing that would mean anything to Paul. 
But this bill, the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health 
Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, is the tribute Paul Wellstone 
would have wanted.
  I thank Senator Pete Domenici, who was his partner in this effort for 
this mental health parity bill, for agreeing to allow Paul Wellstone's 
name to be the lead name on this legislation. It will be the Wellstone-
Domenici bill for all of us, and both of them deserve praise for all 
the work they did. But when Pete Domenici said: Put his name first, it 
meant a lot to many of us. This was the fitting tribute we were hoping 
for for Paul Wellstone.
  What does it mean? It means for Paul Wellstone's family and the 
families of millions of Americans that mental health will now be 
treated differently in their health insurance plan. For the longest 
time, we have languished in ignorance over mental health. We have fed 
our prejudices instead of learning about this illness. We have treated 
it not as an illness but a curse, and we have basically said that we 
officially give up on finding cures for mental illness.
  That is just plain wrong on every count. Mental illness is an 
illness. For the vast majority of Americans, it is a curable illness. 
What those suffering from mental illness need is professional 
assistance and the right medication, and many of them will lead 
absolutely normal, happy, productive lives. But the health insurance 
companies refused to cover mental illness--most of them--so many people 
with family members who were suffering from mental illness had no place 
to turn, and many times they could not afford the medications, and many 
times their lives were compromised as a result.
  Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici said a long time ago that is just 
unfair and America is a better place. Thanks to their hard work and 
inspiration, thanks to the hard work of Teddy Kennedy, who should have 
been here today voting for it--his name belongs in this pantheon as 
well when it comes to mental health parity--Tom Harkin, and Max Baucus, 
who put this in this package to make sure it passed--I just want to say 
it is a great day for America, a great day for us to give so many 
millions of Americans who struggle with mental illness or have a member 
of their family struggling with mental illness a fighting chance. That 
is what this gives them: a fighting chance that their health insurance 
policies will cover this, for the first time in many instances. It is 
long overdue, and this tribute to Paul Wellstone is long overdue. But 6 
years after he left this Chamber, 6 years after he died, we finally 
gave the right tribute to a great man who served us so well.
  Mr. President, today is an important day for the U.S. Senate and the 
Nation.
  With the passage of the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental 
Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, the Senate not only 
acknowledges the struggle for civil rights in our country, but also the 
fight of one man never neglected that struggle.

[[Page S9263]]

  In 1992, the late Senator Paul Wellstone worked with Senator Pete 
Domenici to introduce the Mental Health Parity Act to correct the 
unfair burden placed on American families living with mental illness 
without access to mental health services.
  For his entire public service career, our friend Paul fought 
valiantly for equal rights for all, regardless of their race, religion, 
socioeconomic status, or health status. He fought for parity as he 
fought for all civil rights--he fought to end discrimination against 
people with mental illness and addiction in insurance coverage.
  For over a decade, the Wellstone name has been synonymous with the 
Democratic effort to push mental health parity.
  Finally, with the passage of mental health parity legislation, we are 
assuring millions of Americans that mental illness deserves equal 
treatment as physical illness.
  But we also honor our dear friend and his lifelong commitment to 
seeing parity enacted.
  I only wish that Paul Wellstone could have lived to see this day.
  Although Paul himself could not be here, his memory lives on in his 
two sons, David and Mark.
  Paul would be proud of his sons and the great work of Wellstone 
Action, a national center for training and leadership development for 
the progressive movement with a mission to honor the legacy of Paul and 
Sheila Wellstone by continuing their great work.
  And Paul would be proud of all of us for moving this important bill 
forward.
  As Paul said, ``Politics isn't about big money or power games; it's 
about the improvement of people's lives.''
  I am pleased to support this bill, in honor of Paul and Sheila, and 
the millions of people living with mental illness whose lives will 
hopefully be improved by its enactment.
  I ask unanimous consent to have David Wellstone's written comments 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

    Statement for the Record in Support of the Passage of the Paul 
 Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity 
                              Act of 2008

       I am pleased to speak in support of the Paul Wellstone and 
     Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act 
     of 2008. This legislation is critically important to the 
     future of health care, and it is also very close to my heart. 
     During his time in the Senate, my father never stopped 
     fighting for fairness in coverage and treatment of mental 
     illness and substance use disorders. My family and I are 
     grateful for the effort in the Senate and the House to pay 
     tribute to my father's legacy by naming the bill after him 
     and his close colleague, Sen. Pete Domenici.
       My brother and I founded Wellstone Action to carry on my 
     father's work, and through this organization, thousands of 
     people are trained each year to run for office and to develop 
     grassroots skills in organizing and leadership. But nothing 
     represents my father's passion and commitment more than his 
     work to pass legislation that would end the discrimination 
     against those with mental illness and substance use 
     disorders. This legislation is a major achievement and will 
     do so much to end that discrimination.
       For some time, I have been coming to Washington to speak on 
     behalf of this legislation, but the fight for parity has a 
     long history with many milestones: the 1996 federal law; the 
     1999 Executive Order that gave federal employees mental 
     health and addiction parity benefits; the many successes at 
     the state level to strengthen their parity laws; the times 
     that Congress came very close to passing the expansion of the 
     federal law; and the endorsement by President Bush in 2002. 
     For my father, these milestones were very personal. His 
     dedication stemmed from his personal observations of the 
     terrible conditions in psychiatric institutions when his 
     brother was hospitalized in the 1950s. These conditions, and 
     the eventual catastrophic financial toll that my grandparents 
     had to bear, inspired my father to do everything he could to 
     make things right for those in similar circumstances.
       The legislation that my father and Sen. Domenici passed in 
     1996 was groundbreaking and important, for it established in 
     law an important first principle of parity: that those with 
     mental illness should not be discriminated against in 
     insurance coverage. But my father knew that it was not 
     enough, and that is why this legislation is so necessary. It 
     is the critically important next step toward ending the 
     persistent discrimination against people who suffer from 
     mental illness and addiction.
       In the Senate, the tireless leadership of Senator Edward 
     Kennedy and Senator Pete Domenici on this effort has been 
     extraordinary, especially with their efforts to bring 
     together the coalition of business and advocates to work to 
     get this bill completed. They and the Senate Leadership, 
     especially Senator Harry Reid and Senator Dick Durbin, should 
     be proud of their efforts to make this legislation one that 
     will strongly protect the needs of millions of Americans who 
     have mental illness and substance use disorders. In the 
     Senate, the efforts by Senator Chris Dodd, Senator Tom 
     Harkin, Senator Max Baucus, Senator Barbara Boxer, and 
     Senator Amy Klobuchar also did so much to bring this bill to 
     final passage. And, as I know well, nothing is accomplished 
     without the unflagging commitment of hundreds of dedicated 
     staff and advocates who have worked so hard to right the 
     wrong of discrimination that has existed for so long in our 
     country. I also want to extend my deep gratitude to former 
     First Lady Rosalynn Carter for her many years of leadership 
     on this issue and many other problems related to mental 
     illness. She and my father worked closely together on parity 
     for many years, and he was always grateful for her support 
     and leadership.
       We know that mental illness is a real, painful, and 
     sometimes fatal disease. It is also a treatable disease. My 
     father used to say that the gap between what we know and what 
     we do is lethal. Available medications and psychological 
     treatments, alone or in combination, can help most people who 
     suffer from mental illness and addiction. But without 
     adequate treatment, these illnesses can continue or worsen in 
     severity. Suicide is the third leading cause of death of 
     young people in the U.S. Each year, 32,000 Americans take 
     their lives, hundreds of thousands attempt to do so, and in 
     90 percent of these situations, the cause is untreated mental 
     illness. This legislation will save lives. It will also go a 
     long way toward ending the stigma that is behind the 
     discrimination.
       People have asked me why I am so involved in this issue. My 
     first response is, ``Because of my father, of course''. I 
     loved him and I miss him, and I have learned that many others 
     here in Washington and throughout the country miss him too, 
     especially his courage and his compassion. He fought hard for 
     those who had no voice, and he had a strong personal 
     commitment to helping those with mental illness and 
     addiction. After he died, Congressional members honored him 
     and my family by promising to name the parity bill after him, 
     and this meant a great deal to my family. But I also knew the 
     kind of man my father was, and the kind of parity bill he 
     would have wanted finally passed into law, and I wanted to 
     help ensure that the final bill was one worthy of his name. 
     The safeguards for patients that have been included in this 
     final bill, such as protections of stronger state laws, out 
     of network benefits, oversight of diagnosis coverage, and 
     transparency of medical necessity, are essential to a strong 
     law. This Congress can be remembered as the one that had the 
     courage and leadership to pass a strong parity bill, one 
     where everyone's voices had a chance to be heard.
       I, along with millions of Americans, look forward to the 
     day when people with mental illness and substance use 
     disorder receive decent, humane, and timely care. The passage 
     of the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity 
     and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 brings us closer to this 
     day.

                          ____________________