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Recovery in the News
Mental Health Parity Bill On Track For Key Vote In House
Fawn Johnson
National Journal
February 29, 2008
Next week, the House will take its first stand-alone vote on a mental health bill that would require insurers to offer the same treatment and cost-sharing options for mental and physical conditions. It is a historic moment for mental health advocates, who have been lobbying for parity legislation for over a decade. It is off-putting for the business community, which backs a Senate mental health parity bill that passed on a unanimous vote last year.
To soothe the anxiety, Rep. Jim Ramstad, R-Minn., this week met with businesses opposing his measure, according to an aide. The meeting was described as very cordial. "What we have in common is that we want to see a mental health parity bill passed this year and get the matter settled. This is a necessary step toward getting to that conclusion," the aide said. Ramstad sponsors the House bill with Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I.
The Ad Hoc Coalition on Mental Health Parity, a business group opposing the House bill, is readying a series of "key vote" letters to be sent to the Capitol before Wednesday's vote. The National Retail Federation, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors are placing the vote on a list indicating lawmakers' support for business in this Congress. The ad hoc coalition that includes Aetna, the American Benefits Council and the National Association of Health Underwriters helped negotiate the Senate bill but was not involved in crafting the House bill. The House bill imposes stricter requirements on treating mental conditions.
The mental health advocacy community is divided on the House and Senate bills, but they are positive about the House vote. "We see the House vote as a historic step," said Mental Health America Vice President of Government Affairs Ralph Ibson. "We see it as sustaining the momentum that set in last year with the Senate's passage of its parity bill, with an eye to the two bodies reconciling the two bills." But business prefers the House pass the Senate bill. The House measure "was a bad bill when it was introduced, and it's gotten worse as it's gone along," said National Retail Federation Vice President of Employee Benefits Policy Neil Trautwein, who chairs the business coalition. "If we could key vote it three or four times, we would."
Lawmakers in both chambers are committed to sending a parity bill to the president's desk this year, in part because two of its longtime champions are retiring, Ramstad and Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M. Domenici sponsors the Senate bill with Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Chairman Kennedy. "I'm pleased the House is going to take action on the parity bill. The process needs move forward. I look forward to sitting down to reach a deal that can go to the president for his signature," Domenici said. In scheduling the mental health parity measure for a floor vote next week, House lawmakers cleared one last hurdle -- finding offsets for the bill's $4 billion five-year price tag. The bill will include two revenue raisers to comply with pay/go requirements. The first offset would increase the rebate that drug makers are required to give to states under Medicaid. The second offset would prohibit physicians from referring patients to their physician-owned hospitals.