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Providing for Consideration of H.R. 1424, Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2007

Date: March 5, 2008
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Health and Health Care


PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 1424, PAUL WELLSTONE MENTAL HEALTH AND ADDICTION EQUITY ACT OF 2007 -- (House of Representatives - March 05, 2008)

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Mr. COHEN. I thank the gentlelady from Florida for making this time available.

My father was a physician. After being a pediatrician for many years, he chose to change his specialty and go into psychiatry, and then child adolescent psychiatry. As a result of that, I was exposed to mental health issues and mental health treatment and the need for mental health professionals throughout this country.

There has been a misconception in this country about people needing mental health treatment and their being adequately covered by insurance. In the same way that a physical illness affects people, mental illnesses do. And mental health treatment has been woefully undercovered and underserved, people who suffer from that in our country.

I am proud to be a cosponsor of this bill and to join with the gentleman from Minnesota and the gentleman from Rhode Island who brought the bill and other cosponsors, because I think it shows that this Congress understands that mental health treatment needs to be covered, that diseases of the mind are similar to diseases of the body, the effect they can have on a person's overall well-being, but that their mental health and their physical health are also intertwined, and if mental health is not treated, physical health is affected.

We need to be concerned about all of our fellow citizens, our brothers and sisters who might suffer from any illness. And it's time that we came out from the cloak of an ancient time when we looked upon mental health treatment as something to be shunned, to be embarrassed about if it was somebody in our families, our friends, or even ourselves. And so I wholeheartedly endorse this bill and feel that the passage of this bill will be a great day for Americans and for science.

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