End Insurance Discrimination, Support Mental Health Parity

Read The Senator Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act S. 486 H.R. 953 Mental Health Advocates Call for End to Insurance Discrimination (2/27/03) Bazelon Center Mourns Loss of Senator Paul Wellstone (10/25/02) Mental Health Liaison Group Fact Sheets on Parity Bazelon Center Insurance Issues Page Support the Bazelon Center. Your tax-deductible donation helps the Bazelon Center keep you informed on important developments in mental health law and policy. Not a Subscriber? Sign up now to receive action alerts and updates from the Bazelon Center.

Oct. 24, 2003—A year ago tomorrow, America lost a tireless advocate for people with mental illnesses with the death of Senator Paul Wellstone. Help us honor his memory by urging your Representative and Senators to pass the Senator Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act (S. 486 and H.R. 953) to promote mental health parity and put an end to insurance discrimination against people with mental illnesses.

Despite President Bush’s endorsement of mental health parity — and the support for it expressed in the final report of the President’s Commission on Mental Health —millions of Americans with mental illnesses still face arbitrary limits on the mental health services covered by their private insurance.

When private insurers fail to cover the services people with mental illnesses need, already overburdened public mental health systems must pick up the slack— if they can. In the face of state budget crunches, shrinking federal tax revenues and the growing federal deficit, it is outrageous for private insurers to pass along healthcare costs to taxpayers. Yet that is exactly what they are doing by shirking their obligation to cover services people with mental illnesses want and need.

The insurance industry continues its vigorous opposition to mental health parity. We need your help to break the congressional logjam that has so far blocked efforts to end insurance discrimination. Please follow the steps below to help us honor Senator Wellstone’s memory by telling Congress to make mental health parity a priority.

Take Action Now!

• Make the Call! Call the toll-free Parity Hotline, 1-866-PARITY4 (1-866-727-4894) and tell your members of Congress to support the Senator Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act (S. 486 and H.R. 953). The Parity Hotline reaches the Capitol switchboard, which can connect you to your senators and representative. If you’re not sure who represents you in Washington, you can find out by visiting http://www.congress.org on the World Wide Web.
• Become an Online Activist! Support mental health parity with the Wellstone Action Network’s online tools.