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E-News from Washington Vol. 04-07 April 2, 2004
Mental Health Parity Alert - Contact Your Senators Now

The time for passing parity is now! Despite a bipartisan record 69 cosponsors in the Senate and 245 in the House of Representatives, Congress has failed to move on the “Senator Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act (S. 486/H.R. 953). In fact, two years have passed since President Bush expressed support for full mental health parity legislation. During this time more than 350 organizations have joined together to urge the passage of parity legislation to end insurance discrimination against those suffering from mental disorders. 

While Congress often appears to be focused on either Iraq or the economy, the fact remains that this is a critical election year (like when the 1996 Mental Health Parity Act passed) making legislators even more attentive to their constituent’s concerns. We need to seize this opportunity by turning up the pressure and unifying grassroots support to help the bill’s sponsors, Senators Pete Domenici (R-NM) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA), urge the Senate to get moving on parity. The Senate leaders need to know their continued inaction on passing S. 486 delays relief to the millions of Americans who continue to suffer because of the lack of comprehensive mental health parity.

Action: Use the toll-free Parity Hotline, 1-866-parity4 (1-866-727-4894), to call your Senators to urge prompt passage of mental health parity legislation. The Parity Hotline reaches the Capitol switchboard, which can connect callers to their Members of Congress. 

Targets: All members of the U.S. Senate.

Message for non-cosponsors: “I am calling to ask the Senator to urge Senators Frist and Gregg to make mental health parity legislation [S. 486] a top priority for passage early in 2004. Parity is a fair and affordable solution that will save lives and families. Congress must pass the Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act.

Message for cosponsors: “I am calling to ask the Senator to urge Senators Frist and Gregg to make mental health parity legislation, S. 486, a top priority for passage early in 2004. As a cosponsor, he/she knows that parity is a fair and affordable solution that will save lives and families. Congress must pass the Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act.

Cosponsor list: Senate Co-Sponsors of S. 486, Sen. Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act

Daniel Akaka (HI), Max Baucus (MT), Evan Bayh (IN), Robert Bennett (UT), Joseph Biden (DE), Jeff Bingaman (NM), Barbara Boxer (CA), John Breaux (LA), Conrad Burns (MT), Robert Byrd (WV), Ben Nighthorse Campbell (CO), Maria Cantwell (WA), Tom Carper (DE), Lincoln Chafee (RI), Saxby Chambliss (GA), Hillary Rodham Clinton (NY), Thad Cochran (MS), Norm Coleman (MN), Susan Collins (ME), Kent Conrad (ND), Jon Corzine (NJ), Tom Daschle (SD), Mark Dayton (MN), Michael DeWine (OH), Christopher Dodd (CT), Pete Domenici (NM), Original Sponsor, Byron Dorgan (ND), Richard Durbin (IL), John Edwards (NC), Dianne Feinstein (CA), Peter Fitzgerald (IL), Bob Graham (FL), Lindsey Graham (SC), Charles Grassley (IA), Tom Harkin (IA), Orrin Hatch (UT), Fritz Hollings (SC), Daniel Inouye (HI), James Jeffords (VT), Tim Johnson (SD), Ted Kennedy (MA), Original Sponsor, John Kerry (MA), Herb Kohl (WI), Mary Landrieu (LA), Frank Lautenberg (NJ), Patrick Leahy (VT), Carl Levin (MI), Joseph Lieberman (CT), Blanche Lincoln (AR), Richard Lugar (IN), Barbara Mikulski (MD), Zell Miller (GA), Patty Murray (WA), Bill Nelson (FL), Ben Nelson (NE), Mark Pryor (AR), John Reed (RI), Harry Reid (NV), Pat Roberts (KS), Jay Rockefeller (WV), Paul Sarbanes (MD), Charles Schumer (NY), Gordon Smith (OR), Olympia Snowe (ME), Arlen Specter (PA), Debbie Stabenow (MI), Craig Thomas (WY), John Warner (VA), Ron Wyden (OR)

Background: Last November, Senate mental health parity sponsors secured a commitment from the Republican Leadership that parity would be among the first bills to move to the Senate Floor in early 2004. Unfortunately, that has not happened, and is one of the reasons we are asking that you focus your advocacy efforts on the Senate. 

Senator Bill Frist (R-TN), the Majority Leader, also expressed appreciation for the willingness of Sens. Domenici and Kennedy to compromise on issues of concern to insurers and employers. However, Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH), Chairman of the Health Committee with jurisdiction over the bill, has not scheduled S. 486 for action. With a shorter session this year, the Senate must act on parity soon or it will not pass in 2004.

Resources: Fact sheets on parity can be found at http://www.mhlg.org/page18.html.

Beth Powell
Director, Public Policy and Professional Issues
American Mental Health Counselors Association
801 N. Fairfax Street, Suite 304
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
Phone: 800-326-2642, ext. 105
Phone: 703-548-6002, ext. 105
Fax: 703-548-4775
Website: www.amhca.org