Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008

On October 3, 2008, President George W. Bush signed into law the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, about an hour after the House of Representatives passed the act by a vote of 263-171. Congress joined the parity bill with the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act, the legislation created to address the economic crisis. The Senate passed the same version of the act earlier. This is a huge victory for people affected by AD/HD and related disorders. It is important that Congress realized the importance of ending insurance discrimination against people with mental illnesses. This was a monumental day for citizens with disabilities. See how your Representative voted here.The mental health parity legislation signed into law today provides equity between medical-surgical benefits and mental health and addiction benefits in healthcare plans that offer mental health coverage. The bill prohibits health insurance plans sponsored by businesses with fifty or more employees from imposing day and visit limits or applying different deductibles, copayments, out-of-network charges and other financial requirements for mental health treatment. The act builds on the 1996 Parity Act, which provided limited parity for lifetime and annual dollar limits.The text of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act can be viewed here. The section on mental health parity is located on pages 310-344.