House+Bill+558+(Conrad+K.+and+Will+E.+Period+4)

Mental Health Parity Act of 2007
media type="file" key="Senate Bill 558 (WECK).mp3"

**__Title of Bill-__** Mental Health Parity Act of 2007

__**Bill Number-**__ 558. Senate __**Sponsor-**__ Pete Domenici (Republican.) http://energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Biographies.RankingMember

problems as compared to people who suffer from medical and surgical health problems. The bill would do this by having the insurance companies treat mental illnesses as if they were medical illnesses.
 * __Summary-__** This bill would provide equal insurance coverage for people who suffer from mental health


 * __History of this Bill-__** The history of this issue began about 50 years ago. Before that time the mentally ill were taken out of society and placed in public asylums. In the 1960's many of the asylums were closed. This resulted in a significant increase of homeless people. As an alternative to the asylums mental health care was established to treat mental health disease just like any other disease.


 * __People Affected by this Bill-__** The issue is who pays for the mental health care. People with mental illnesses are unable to find reasonably priced insurance to cover the treatment costs. Insurance companies are reluctant to provide coverage for poorly defined illnesses. Employers are affected because of increased premiums that would likely result with the expanded insurance coverage. Mental health care providers have a financial incentive to support the expanded insurance coverage. This is a large complex issue that will continue to affect many people. On the other hand, this bill will treat mental illnesses no different then surgical or medical illnesses, this will help those with mental illnesses who can't pay for their treatment therefore stuck with nowhere to go. If this bill is passed, those people that don't have the money to get mental health care can now find reasonably priced insurance coverage.


 * __How This Bill Will Help-__**
 * Give reasonably priced insurance to cover the treatment costs of mental illnesses.
 * Pull many Americans out of mental health needs.

http://thestrangedeathofliberalamerica.com/eidolons-or-why-hillary-clinton-lost-new-hampshire.html http://blog.binnyva.com/2007/11/30-reasons-why-all-programmers-are-schizophrenics/

"'A bill to provide parity between health insurance coverage of mental health benefits and benefits for medical and surgical services. .'" __CapWiz__. The Dirksen Congressional Center. 10 Dec. 2008 .
 * __ Bibliography- __**

Tauberer, Jashua. "Text of S. 558: Mental Health Parity Act of 2007." __GovTrack__. 19 Sept. 2007. 10 Dec. 2008 .