[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 153 (Thursday, September 25, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1915]
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 OF 2008

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 23, 2008

  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6983, the Paul 
Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity 
Act, to require equity in mental health and substance-related disorders 
under group health plans.
  I want to thank Representative Patrick Kennedy for his leadership in 
developing and negotiating the passage of this critical law.
  It's also right that this bill be named in honor of Senator Domenici 
and our friend, the late Senator Paul Wellstone. Senator Wellstone was 
truly a champion for mental health and this Act honors his memory.
  As a former psychological social worker, I appreciate the necessity 
of mental health parity and the significance of this bill. Many 
diseases go hand in hand with depression, substance abuse, and a 
variety of other mental health issues that cannot go untreated.
  For example, when a person is diagnosed with cancer or HIV, they and 
their families go through a range of emotional responses. To treat only 
the physical signs of illness is to ignore the broad ranging emotional 
implications of a disease.
  Currently, companies can limit both the number of visits that a 
person makes to a mental health professional in a year and the network 
of doctors a patient can see, even where no such limit exists for 
medical or surgical benefits. That is ridiculous.
  Disease treatment must provide individuals with the ability to adapt 
their lifestyle and manage the changes associated with their illness. 
Whether it is anxiety, stress, or even stigma--the diagnosis of a 
disease always impacts an individual's mental health. To downplay the 
necessity of mental health care in treatment is simply 
counterproductive.
  By enacting this bill to require mental health parity, we take a 
crucial step forward in guaranteeing that our constituents can access 
the level of health care that they need. I believe however, that 
fundamentally, we need to move to a universal health care system.
  Additionally, the Act prohibits insurance companies from charging 
different rates for deductibles, copayments, coinsurance, and out-of-
pocket expenses for mental health.
  These commonsense changes will help expand access to mental health 
services throughout the country, and I am pleased to support them.
  I urge the president to sign HR 6983, the Paul Wellstone and Pete 
Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act and to recognize 
that mental health care is a crucial tool in promoting the overall 
health and well-being of the American people.

                          ____________________