House approves mental health parity bill

Yesterday, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed HR 1424, the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2007 by a vote of 268-148.

Supporters say the bill will help end discrimination against patients with mental illnesses. It requires health plans to cover out-of-network services for mental health and substance abuse if they cover out-of-network services for medical and surgical benefits. The House bill also ensures that plans cover mental illness and substance abuse diagnoses that have been established by the medical community.

However, the bill does not mandate insurers or group health plans to provide any mental health coverage. The bill’s provisions only apply to plans that choose to offer mental health coverage.

Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act [Via Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi]

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