SCHIP bill includes parity for mental health, addiction treatment w/medical care.

[pinto]

During the debate over the Senate measure, lawmakers approved an amendment introduced by Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) that incorporates the language of the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act into the SCHIP bill.

The amendment requires that all children covered by SCHIP receive addiction and mental-health benefits on par with traditional medical/surgical benefits, and bars states from imposing different co-pays or capping treatment length-of-stays. "Our bill will provide comprehensive health care that equitably treats ailments of both the mind and body," said Smith.

"Children shouldn't be discriminated against just because they have mental-health or substance-abuse issues," Kerry told Join Together. "Health care should be able to cover all aspects of a child's well-being. Instead of discriminating against mental health -- which is essentially what we're doing now -- we can, and should, offer services that improve children's performance in school, keep them out of the juvenile-justice system, and help them lead better lives."

http://www.jointogether.org/news/features/2007/schip-bills-include-parity.html

[jmp]

1. Lets hope we don't cave on this too. (nm)

...

[riqster]

2. THAT'S why Bush is gonna veto it!

I wondered why he was so het up about the bill. His puppeteers don't want that kind of parity, and they are afraid it will become institutionalized.