Sen. Pete Domenici’s 12 year quest to pass legislation requiring insurance companies to cover mental illnesses like any other medical condition bore fruit when the legislation, known as mental health parity, finally gets approved.

It was in April 1996 when Sen. Pete Domenici, the New Mexico Republican told colleagues, "now is the time" to get legislation to give equal medical coverage for mental illness. He got involved in the parity issue after joining a National Alliance on Mental Illness support group nearly 20 years ago, his daughter Clare, was diagnosed with atypical schizophrenia.

The bill was backed by a 263-171 vote in the House of Representatives and tacked onto the $ 700 billion financial bailout bill before being signed by President Bush. The legislation ensures that insurance companies do not charge higher deductibles, co-payments, coinsurance or out-of-pocket expenses, or impose limits including frequency of treatment, number of visits and days of coverage for mental health and addiction care. The US Department of Labor is required under this law to report to Congress every two years on the compliance of the group health plans with the law.

"After 10 years of debate, Congress has finally agreed to end discrimination in health insurance coverage that plagues persons living with mental illness for so long," Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy said who had supported the cause with his son, Rhode Island Democratic Rep. Patrick Kennedy along with Minnesota Republican Rep. Jim Ramstad.

Mr. Domenici, 76, has been in the senate for 35 years and is retiring after being diagnosed with an incurable, degenerative brain disease. Sen. Paul Wellstone of Minnesota, who was his original partner in the mental-health effort, died in a plane crash in 2002, while Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, the Democrat who stepped in for the cause after Mr. Wellstone's death, is battling brain cancer and wasn't in the Senate for the final vote on the bill.

"Happy is not quite the right word," Mr. Domenici said. "I'm glad that we're finished, but it's been such a long ordeal."

The bill passed the senate after 20 years of struggle and has been named after both Mr. Domenici, and Mr. Wellstone.  Mr. Wellstone's son David visited Mr. Domenici recently. "He hugged me and said how glad he was I was involved in this, how proud he was to have his father's name next to mine."

"This is a historic day and a great civil rights victory for millions of Americans who have been unable to access mental health treatment," said David Shern, the nonprofit Mental Health America’s president and CEO.