Washington, D.C.- A giant step forward to end health insurance discrimination against persons with mental illness was taken in Congress today. Senators Pete Dominici (R-NM) and Paul Wellstone (D-MN) introduced "The Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act of 1999."

The bill would bar health plans from setting different limits such as higher patient copayments, fewer hospital days, higher patient deductibles, and fewer outpatient visits on mental illness than are set for other medical/surgical treatments. The new bill builds on the 1996 Dominici-Wellstone Mental Health Parity Act which requires covered health plans to provide parity only for lifetime and annual dollar caps between mental illness treatment and other medical/surgical treatment.

"This is another historic step in our mutual efforts to extend full parity to those covered by mental health insurance plans," said Allan Tasman, MD, President-elect of the American Psychiatric Association. "We applaud your leadership, because you are ensuring that millions of Americans will realize the hope and spirit of the Mental Health Parity Act of 1996. Guaranteeing full parity for those who suffer from severe mental illnesses takes another step forward on the road to full parity and judgmental fairness for our citizens in need."

Noting that mental illnesses and addictive disorders cut across every strata of American society, from young to old and rich to poor, Dr. Tasman stated, "We applaud the sponsors of this important parity legislation. They have put forward a plan for fair and equal coverage for mental illness -- a step that will save both money and lives. This bill will give our patients much needed peace of mind by allowing for a full range of health care options that rightly should be available to everybody no matter what the illness or circumstance."

Dr. Tasman concluded, "We stand with the Senators in their journey down the road to full parity for all Americans. Discrimination has no place in America, and this bill will help eradicate it for those who suffer from mental illness."