Bailout bill improves mental health coverage

WASHINGTON — People with mental illness would get better health insurance coverage as part of a a giant financial bailout the Senate passed Wednesday, but the legislation's fate remains uncertain.

The Senate passed the bill, 74-25. It must now go to the House, where a majority of lawmakers rejected the $700 billion rescue earlier this week.

Patients seeking treatment for depression or schizophrenia often face greater restrictions with their health insurance coverage than do patients getting treatment for heart disease or diabetes. For example, they often must pay more out of pocket when seeking treatment than do patients with physical problems. Also, insurers sometimes cover fewer visits for mental health treatments than they will for someone getting care for physical ailments.

Both the House and the Senate have overwhelmingly passed legislation that would prevent group health plans with 51 or more employees from imposing such unequal standards.

Still, the two chambers have to pass an exact, final version of the mental health legislation before it can become law, and supporters are running out of time. The bailout legislation will be one of the last, if not the last major bill of the year. Lawmakers are anxious to get back to their home states and districts to campaign for the Nov. 4 election.

The legislation does not mandate that group health plans cover mental health or addiction treatment, only that when plans do so, the coverage must be equitable to other medical coverage.

Business groups as well as advocacy groups supported the improved insurance coverage, which is expected to cost $3.4 billion over 10 years as private companies deduct more health expenses from federal income taxes. Lawmakers who backed the measure said mental disorders are a leading cause of disability in the United States and that success rates for treatment often equal or surpass those for physical conditions.

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