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American Morning

Senators Want Mental Illness Legislation

Aired November 08, 2001 - 09:51   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: It's time for our daily segment "Life Goes On." And on Capitol Hill that means putting aside issues of terrorism and anthrax and turning to other issues that had been put on the back burner.

CNN's congressional correspondent Kate Snow reports that two senators are leading a fight to help Americans diagnosed with mental illness.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATE SNOW, CNN'S CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They're an odd couple: an outspoken liberal from Minnesota and a seasoned Republican from New Mexico. But on this issue, they agree. For both senators, the fight for people with mental illness is not just political, it's personal.

SEN. PAUL WELLSTONE (D), MINNESOTA: My brother has struggled with this illness a good part of his life. He's doing very well. I'm very proud of him. But I grew up learning a lot about mental illness and learning about the discrimination and the importance of good treatment.

SNOW: Sen. Domenici's daughter was diagnosed with a mental illness in college.

SEN. PETE DOMENICI (R), NEW MEXICO: This was a brand-new thing in our family, and as a consequence, it took a long time to get to the right niche, to the right doctor with the right assessment. And now she's been sick since 17, going on 18, and she's had that about 12, 14 years.

SNOW: Domenici says their insurance didn't always cover his daughter's treatments. Over the years, they had to switch companies or pay more to get what she needed.

(on camera): In fact, a congressional report found most employers did not treat mental illness the same way they treat other conditions. The measure backed by Domenici, Wellstone, and 64 other senators is meant to change that.

(voice-over): Group health plans would be prohibited from charging patients more for mental health services than for treatment of other ailments. Also prohibited, putting stricter limits on visits to mental health care providers than the limits on other kinds of doctor visits.

It sounds reasonable, but large employers, insurance companies, and HMOs say it's not that simple.

SUSAN PISANO, AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF HEALTH PLANS: I think everyone's goal is to make sure that people have access to good mental health care. We don't think the Senate bill is going to achieve that goal. What we think is the Senate bill is going to mean that a lot of people don't have health benefits at all.

SNOW: Pisano says companies would be forced to provide new mental health benefits that would raise costs overall. That could mean patients paying higher premiums or employers dropping health care coverage altogether.

But a government study found the Senate legislation would raise premiums by less than 1 percent. Advocates for people with mental illness say that's a small price to pay for equal health care.

Kate Snow, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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