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Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law

January 29, 2009

Millions of SCHIP children to receive mental health parity

Congress passes SCHIP bill that includes equal mental health coverage

Washington, DC (January 29, 2009) The Senate on Thursday passed H.R. 2, renewing and expanding the State Children's Health Insurance Program and extending critical mental health parity benefits to millions of recipients for the first time.

"In a time of economic uncertainty, when more Americans than ever are uninsured, access to health and mental health services is critical for children to exercise their full and healthiest potential," said Robert Bernstein, Ph.D., executive director of the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law.

With a vote of 66-32, the Senate joined the House in successfully renewing SCHIP on the third attempt. President Bush vetoed the bill twice during his tenure. H.R. 2, along with eliminating the five-year waiting period for legal immigrant children and pregnant women, requires that mental health services must be offered at no more restrictive limitations than medical services for SCHIP recipients. This legislation will remove higher co-pays and stricter limits on the number of treatment visits, creating parity between mental health services and medical and surgical benefits provided by the plans.

"We congratulate the 111th Congress on ensuring over 11 million SCHIP recipients, affirming that mental health is integral to physical health and a critical component toward improving health outcomes," said Laurel Stine, director of federal relations at Bazelon and a member of the team that advocated for incorporation of the mental health provision in the SCHIP bill.

The Senate and House will reconcile the respective bills and then send the final version to President Obama for his signature.

SCHIP, which covers children in families with incomes too high to qualify for Medicaid, but often too low to obtain other health insurance, grants matching federal funds to states in order to provide health insurance for children of those who qualify under the income specifications. The renewal will extend these benefits for four and a half more years and will be paid for by a 61cent increase in the federal cigarette tax, from 39 cents to $1.