Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2007

Floor Speech

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I first want to congratulate the sponsors and thank them, Congressman Kennedy and Congressman Ramstad, for their tireless effort on behalf of this bipartisan bill. I also want to pay tribute to Paul Wellstone. He and his wife Sheila were very good friends of me and my family. They were both leaders in ending discrimination and making sure that every person in this country has access to affordable comprehensive care, including comprehensive mental health and substance abuse treatment.

And, if Paul were here today, he would no doubt tell some stories about those he had met throughout the years who would benefit from passing H.R. 1424. And in his absence today, I remember the many, many constituents who I have heard from since first being elected to the Illinois State legislature many years ago who shared with me the need, their desperate need to pass mental health parity legislation.

Every year, about 40 million of us will experience some type of mental disorder; yet one out of every two children and two out of every three adults with diagnosable mental disorders go without treatment.

The good news is that so many mental illnesses are manageable and treatable and curable. The bad news is that, for so many, treatment for mental illness lies far beyond their reach due to high cost sharing and lower caps on services.

Some have said that using the handbook that defines mental health illnesses and is used by the mental health professionals somehow will add to the costs and jeopardize access altogether. But when implemented in the Federal Employee Health Benefit Program, our own program, in 2001, costs did not increase and not one single insurer dropped out. If we are able to benefit from this level of coverage, shouldn't our constituents get at least that much?

Maintaining strong mental health is just as important as maintaining strong physical health, and it is critical that we pass the strongest parity bill we can today.

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