 "My first thought is what a wonderful thing it is for so many people. It eliminates the stigma attached to mental illness and obviously it eliminates the discrimination imbedded in the law. [. . .] But on a personal level, clearly, savoring this victory with my father [Sen. Ted Kennedy] at this point in our lives - at this moment in his life - is a dream come true."
- Congressman Patrick Kennedy, on the passage of the Wellstone-Domenici Mental Health Parity Act of 2008
For decades, insurers have set "higher co-payments and deductibles and stricter limits on treatment for addiction and mental illnesses," even though mental illness is just as real, treatable and debilitating as any physical ailment. For millions of Americans, that insurance environment changed this month with the passage of the Domenici-Wellstone Mental Health Parity Act of 2008. From the New York Times:
More than one-third of all Americans will soon receive better insurance coverage for mental health treatments because of a new law that, for the first time, requires equal coverage of mental and physical illnesses.
The requirement, included in the economic bailout bill that President Bush signed on Friday, is the result of 12 years of passionate advocacy by friends and relatives of people with mental illness and addiction disorders. They described the new law as a milestone in the quest for civil rights, an effort to end insurance discrimination and to reduce the stigma of mental illness.
Instrumental in the fight for this legislation for the past is the father-son team of Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Congressman Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), who sponsored the legislation in the House and Senate. The fight's been a highly personal one for them, as many members of the Kennedy family have been afflicted with mental illness. Senator Ted Kennedy's sister Rosemary, who died in 2005 at the age 86, spent a life disabled and institutionalized after a lobotomy for mental illness nearly 60 years ago. Senator Kennedy was diagnosed in May with a malignant brain tumor, and in 2001 Representative Kennedy publicly talked about being diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Passing mental health parity legislation has been a huge priority for the Kennedys. Teaming with Congressman Jim Ramstad (R-MI) (who himself has battled alcohol and drug addiction), Congressman Kennedy held a series of nationwide hearings last year on the need for mental health parity legislation. Congressman Ramstad praised Rep. Kennedy willingness to speak openly about his personal struggle with bipolar disorder, noting that "[t]he power of Patrick's personal witness has touched thousands."
The House Democratic Campaign Committee is hosting Congressman Kennedy and Congressman Chet Edwards at a fundraising reception Houston on October 22. You can find more information or buy tickets for the reception by clicking here. If you can make it, come out to honor a great legislator who has invested tremendously in improving mental health coverage for Americans who need it.
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