The Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity & Addiction Equity Act of 2008 secured final U.S. congressional passage on Friday. This bill required health insurers to provide the same level of coverage for mental illness and substance abuse treatment as for other ailments. 

Advocates have fought for many years to have the restrictions on insurance policies lifted and the passing of the bill was no small victory for them. By law insurers are not required to cover mental health but if they chose to do so then they would have to treat these conditions as they do other health conditions. The bailout bill that the House of Representatives passed 263 -171 was tacked on to a bipartisan measure which means that insurers can no longer limit the number of visits, nor charge higher deductibles for people using the service for mental health and substance abuse. 

The Senate had passed the bill on Wednesday and President Bush signed it into law after it was tacked onto the $700 billion financial bailout bill. This legislation is known as medical health parity and has finally become law after a decade long battle by advocates who were fighting for the mentally ill. Insurers, they say neglect people with mental conditions such as depression or schizophrenia. 

Sen. Pete Domenici, a New Mexico Republican said, "No longer will we allow mental health to be treated as a stepchild in the health care system. If you have insurance, then your mental health care must be equal to the benefits you get for any other disease." Sen. Domenici was a supporter of the cause and his daughter suffers from schizophrenia. 

The cost is estimated to run to $3.4 billion over 10 years and the Associated Press noted that this law applies to health plans covering more than 50 employees, “potentially reaching 113 million people nationwide.” Insurance companies had argued that this addition would make medical insurance more expensive but they came around when a compromise was reached earlier in the year.  

In a statement Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy said, "After 10 years of debate, Congress has finally agreed to end the senseless discrimination in health insurance coverage that plagues persons living with mental illness for so long." His son Rhode Island Democratic Rep. Patrick Kennedy along with Minnesota Republican Rep. Jim Ramstad helped propel the fight for the bill in the House. 

Karen Ignagni, head of America's Health Insurance Plans, an industry group said, "Millions of Americans will now be assured greater access to mental and behavioral health coverage while continuing to benefit from the innovative programs health plans have developed to promote high-quality, evidence-based care."

As per this bill insurers cannot charge higher deductibles, co-payments, coinsurance or out-of-pocket expenses, or imposing limits including frequency of treatment, number of visits and days of coverage for mental health and addiction care. This law comes into effect from October 2009. 

“This historic legislation is a victory for millions of Americans living with mental illnesses who face unfair discrimination in co-payments, doctor’s visit and hospital stays,” said Michael Fitzpatrick, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

“Nearly half of all patients with a mental health disorder do not receive needed treatment,” said Dr. Jeremy Lazarus, a board member of the American Medical Association. “Thanks to congressional action, we can bring an end to insurance discrimination against patients with mental health needs.”