Constitutional Law

Congress Advances Measure To Bolster Mental Health Care Coverage

Congress is nearing passage of a measure to require health insurance companies to expand coverage for mental illnesses. The U.S. House of Representatives has already passed a bill requiring stronger health care coverage of mental illnesses and the Senate on Tuesday included the measure in a larger legislation package, reports The New York Times. An agreement on the health care coverage measure must be met between the two chambers, which The Washington Post reports might not get done before the approaching congressional recess.  The legislation, which both newspapers say has support across party lines and of the White House, would require that expenses for treatment for mental health  be no greater than treatment for physical ailments. One of the measure’s backers, Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) said it represented a “victory for the millions of Americans who live with mental illness ….”

Full post as published by ACS Blog on September 24, 2008 (boomark / email).