Nation Watch—Advocacy
The Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act of 2003
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Tremendous stress and anxiety often accompanies people and families adjusting their lives after a brain injury, making access to proper mental health care essential. The Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act of 2003 will incorporate this healthcare need into the categories of mental health conditions currently listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) for private health plans that offer mental health coverage.
Additionally, this bill will—
- Prohibit group health plans that provide mental health benefits from imposing treatment limitations or financial requirements on the coverage of mental health conditions, unless comparable limits are imposed on medical and surgical benefits.
- Prohibit discriminatory limits on the frequency of treatment, number of visits, days of coverage or other limits on the duration or scope of treatment in private health insurance coverage for all mental disorders.
- Rule out co-payments, deductibles, coinsurance, other cost sharing and limits on the total amount payable for mental health care in private coverage for all such conditions.
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