Mental Health Parity Legislation
In the fall, Congress did not vote on long-pending legislation to expand the Mental Health Parity Act of 1996. However, a bill was sent to President Bush that
would require that annual and lifetime dollar limits on mental health care benefits be comparable to medical benefits. It is fully expected that the
President will sign this measure early this year and will be in place until at least December 31, 2003.The Mental Health Parity Bill is expected to be
re-introduced early in the New Year, The Mental Health Parity Bill (S.543 and H.R. 4066) has received scores of sponsors during the last few months. Many may
recall that the late Senator Paul Wellstone was one of the foremost supporters of this bill. It is expected that his colleagues will carry this bill as a
torch to honor the works of Senator Wellstone. Passage of this bull could provide more adequate care for those with mental illnesses, and could serve as
an innovative measure to ensure sufficient mental health treatment is available to all those in need. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free
to contact the Dual Diagnosis Recovery Network at
info@dualdiagnosis.org or
ljohnson@dualdiagnosis.org.
