U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords today praised passage of legislation aimed at ending discrimination against patients seeking treatment for mental illness and addiction.
"Discrimination has no place in our society," the Tucson lawmaker said. "The landmark legislation passed by the House of Representatives this afternoon promotes fairness by equalizing health insurance coverage for millions of Americans. It is long overdue."
The Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act passed the House with strong bipartisan support in a 268 to 148 vote. The bill ends discrimination between mental health and other health benefits by requiring similar limits on services and co-payments.
Named after the late U.S. Sen. Paul Wellstone of Minnesota, a champion of mental health parity, the bill applies only to insurers and group health plans that provide mental health benefits. It exempts businesses with 50 or fewer employees.
Passage of the bill was greeted enthusiastically by Neal Cash, the president and chief executive officer of the Community Partnership of Southern Arizona. "This is a major breakthrough for health care and ending discrimination," said Cash, who also serves as a board member of the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare. "Mental illness is no different from any other disease. There should be no difference in the way people are treated."
Cash called Giffords "a great supporter" in the effort to bring about mental health parity. In fact, Giffords was a champion of the issue as a state lawmaker, and in 2004 was named 'Legislator of the Year" by the Arizona Mental Health Association.
"The legislation we passed today is the fulfillment of years of hard work," said Giffords. "In the Arizona Legislature, I considered my sponsorship of mental health parity legislation as my proudest accomplishment. In Congress, I am honored to be a co-sponsor of the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act."