Wellstone Act moving through subcommittees
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| News Archive
| Topics: Congress, insurance, parity, politics
Today a House subcommittee is expected to approve the "Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act" (HR 1424), the insurance parity bill championed by Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI). The bill has 240 co-sponsors, making it likely to win House approval. Many differences between the Senate (S 558) and House versions have already been ironed out, but a major sticking point is who defines the illness. The Senate's bill relies on providers and employers, while the House version is tagged to the insurance plan available to Congress, which uses the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM).
