Which illnesses to cover is sticking point
BY JENNIFER A. DLOUHY
Hearst Newspapers
Article Last Updated: 12/01/2007 04:56:05 PM CST
WASHINGTON - The House is expected to pass legislation this month that would require health insurance plans to cover mental illnesses the same way they treat physical ailments, but the initiative is hung up by a father-son dispute over just what types of disorders should be included.
Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and his son, Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., are the chief champions in Congress of "mental health parity" legislation.
But the senator is pushing for a bill that would allow insurers to decide for themselves what mental illnesses to cover, while his son wants the equal treatment rule to be extended to every disorder recognized by the American Psychiatric Association - the same list of illnesses covered in health plans used by members of Congress.
"Anybody who pays their health-insurance premiums is entitled to expect their plan to be there when they get sick," said Rep. Kennedy, "whether the disease is in their heart, their kidneys or their brain."
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