Urge your Representative to Vote NO on the Mental Health Equity Act!

2008-03-05
By
Eagle Forum Alert
March 4, 2008

House Attempts to Expand List of “Mental Disorders” Covered by Employers Urge your Representative to Vote NO on the Mental Health Equity Act!

Most Americans probably hear the phrase “more affordable health care”
roll off the lips of certain presidential candidates on a daily basis,
so why are Members of Congress trying to pass a bill that they claim
would “increase coverage,” but would actually make it more expensive?

This Wednesday, March 5th, the House is scheduled to vote on the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2007 (H.R. 1424). Introduced by Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI),
H.R. 1424 would impose federal mandates on both private insurance
companies and on employers who choose to offer mental health coverage
as part of their group health insurance plans. The bill would
incorporate into federal statute the fourth edition of the Diagnostic
and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) as the basis for
which group health plans offer coverage for mental health conditions.
The DSM-IV classifies a variety of mental disorders. The following is
just a sampling of those diagnoses for which employers would be
mandated to provide benefits: nightmare disorder, caffeine-induced
sleep disorder, caffeine intoxication, sibling relational problems,
academic problems, substance-induced sexual dysfunction, and
pedophilia.

Other problems with H.R. 1424:

  • Increases the cost of Health Insurance. CBO estimates that
    this bill will impose mandates on private companies totaling $3 billion
    a year by 2012. By increasing the cost of coverage, the risk of greater
    numbers of uninsured Americans rises, as some employers may decide to
    drop group health insurance coverage altogether or not offer mental
    health coverage at all in order to avoid conflicting with strict state
    regulations.
  • Codifies a Treatment Mandate. Incorporating the
    DSM-IV list of mental disorders into federal law will obligate
    employers to cover “disorders” such as “jet lag,” “caffeine
    intoxication,” and “transvestic fetishism.”
  • Does not contain a “conscience clause.” The bill
    does not contain an exemption for health insurance groups or businesses
    to exclude coverage of disorders for which they have a religious or
    moral objection, e.g. pedophilia.

H.R. 1424 was placed on the suspension calendar, which means that no
amendments may be offered and a two-thirds majority is necessary for
passage. Currently, the bill has 273 cosponsors, so it is clear that
the bill has close to two-thirds support. View the list of co-sponsors. Call your Representative today and tell

them you have major objections to this bill!
Take Action

Urge your Representative to vote NO on H.R. 1424 today!

Call Your Representatives Today! Capitol Switchboard: (202)-224-3121

used with permission

The Liberty Letters are a project of the Latter-day Center for Moral Liberalism

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