One day after the Senate approved a bill (S 558) that would require health insurers to provide equal coverage for physical and mental illnesses, the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health approved the House version (HR 1424) of mental health parity legislation, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. The Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act -- named for the late senator who championed the issue -- now will be sent to the full committee for a vote (Minneapolis Star Tribune, 9/19).

The House legislation includes provisions not included in the Senate bill, including a broader definition of conditions that insurers would be required to cover. In addition, under the House version, the policy would go into effect Jan. 1, 2008, while the Senate bill states that it would begin one year after it becomes law.

Although the House legislation is expected to pass easily, the final version to emerge from conference more likely will resemble the Senate version, according to CQ Today (Armstrong, CQ Today, 9/19). Health subcommittee ranking member Dave Camp (R-Mich.) predicted that the Senate version of the bill could land on President Bush's desk "by the end of the week" (Posner, CongressDaily, 9/20).

Editorial
It is "simply common sense" that if a health insurer covers physical ailments such as cancer and broken bones, "it should give equal weight to someone with an illness that happens to affect the brain," a Hartford Courant editorial states. The editorial concludes, "The House must pass this bill. The president must sign it into law. It is the right thing to do. Anything less would be indefensible" (Hartford Courant, 9/20).