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May 17, 2008 1:32:45 AM CDT

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House Passes Mental Health 'Parity' Bill  

Posted Mar 6, 08 3:00 AM CST in Politics,  Science & Health    Most Covered

(newser) – The House has passed a bill requiring most group health insurers to provide comparable coverage for treatment of mental illness and addiction as they do for physical illness, the New York Times reports. "Illness of the brain must be treated just like illness anywhere else in the body," said one lawmaker. Supporters of the bill have been trying to get it passed for more than a decade.

Current law allows insurers to set higher co-payments or stricter limits on mental health benefits. A new law could provide significant aid to many of the 35 million Americans who suffer from mental health problems, according to experts. Many insurers and employers, as well as the White House, prefer the narrower version of the parity bill already passed by the Senate. A committee will now have to iron out the differences between the two.

Source New York Times

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House Passes Mental Health 'Parity' Bill
Former first lady Rosalynn Carter, center, flanked by Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., left, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., right, participates in rally on the Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday,...   (Associated Press)
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Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., left, former first lady Rosalynn Carter, center, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., participate in a rally on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, March 5, 2008,...   (Associated Press)
House Passes Mental Health 'Parity' Bill
Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., center, gestures during a rally on the Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, March 5, 2008, to discuss the bipartisan mental health parity legislation, Front row, from left...   (Associated Press)
House Passes Mental Health 'Parity' Bill
Former first lady Rosalynn Carter, at podium, speaks during a rally on the Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, March 5, 2008, in Washington, to discuss the bipartisan mental health parity legislation....   (Associated Press)
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Senate  • House of Representatives  • Nancy Pelosi  • health insurance  • mental health  • mental illness  • addiction


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