There are two things that the U.S. Congress is not known for, efficiency and consensus of support on an issue. Well, last week Capitol Hill lawmakers did both. The $700 billion Wall Street bailout legislation included the mental health parity bill we have been following.
The mental health parity bill had unanimous support, surprisingly, in the House of Representatives, Senate and White House. The new law is now in effect and means that more than one third of Americans with health insurance will have better coverage for mental health conditions. This came from the New York Times.
According the Times article, an estimated 113 million people will get better mental health coverage. The start-date for this new and improved coverage will be January 1, 2010 for most plans.
Health insurance companies and employers initially opposed this legislation. US Senators Pete Domenici, Edward Kennedy, Michael Enzi, the bill's creators, are credited for bringing all the parties at interest to the negotiating table.
These Senators introduced the bill that is now law. One trade group vice president involved in the negotiation says, "It was an incredible process. We built the bill piece by piece from the ground up. It's a good harbinger for future efforts on health care reform.
The mental health parity bill had unanimous support, surprisingly, in the House of Representatives, Senate and White House. The new law is now in effect and means that more than one third of Americans with health insurance will have better coverage for mental health conditions. This came from the New York Times.
According the Times article, an estimated 113 million people will get better mental health coverage. The start-date for this new and improved coverage will be January 1, 2010 for most plans.
Health insurance companies and employers initially opposed this legislation. US Senators Pete Domenici, Edward Kennedy, Michael Enzi, the bill's creators, are credited for bringing all the parties at interest to the negotiating table.
These Senators introduced the bill that is now law. One trade group vice president involved in the negotiation says, "It was an incredible process. We built the bill piece by piece from the ground up. It's a good harbinger for future efforts on health care reform.
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Most people who have Blue Cross health insurance and still do not have enough coverage. If you are wanting health insurance quotes, go to gohealthinsurance.com.
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