To amend section 712 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, section 2705 of the Public Health Service Act, and section 9812 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to require equity in the provision of mental health and substance-related disorder benefits under group health plans, and for other purposes.

Overview Sponsor: Rep. Patrick Kennedy [D-RI1]show cosponsors (7) Cosponsors: Robert Andrews [D-NJ1] John Dingell [D-MI15] Frank Pallone [D-NJ6] James Ramstad [R-MN3] Charles Rangel [D-NY15] Fortney Stark [D-CA13] Henry Waxman [D-CA30] Text: Summary | Full Text Status: Introduced Sep 22, 2008 Referred to Committee View Committee Assignments Passed House Sep 23, 2008 Senate Vote (did not occur) Signed by President (did not occur) This bill never became law. This bill was proposed in a previous session of Congress. Sessions of Congress last two years, and at the end of each session all proposed bills and resolutions that haven't passed are cleared from the books. Members often reintroduce bills that did not come up for debate under a new number in the next session. Last Action: Sep 23, 2008: Received in the Senate. Related: See the Related Legislation page for other bills related to this one and a list of subject terms that have been applied to this bill. Sometimes the text of one bill or resolution is incorporated into another, and in those cases the original bill or resolution, as it would appear here, would seem to be abandoned. Votes: Sep 23, 2008: This bill passed in the House of Representatives by roll call vote. The vote was held under a suspension of the rules to cut debate short and pass the bill, needing a two-thirds majority. This usually occurs for non-controversial legislation. The totals were 376 Ayes, 47 Nays, 10 Present/Not Voting. Vote Details. You are not tracking any senators or representatives. To see their votes here, look up a Member of Congress. View all 1 votes on this bill.

Question & Answer Can you answer any of these questions posed by other users? Think of it as a civic good deed. See 4 more questions posed on this topic or submit your own question on the Q&A page. Enter your question. Tips: Be clear and precise. No abbreviations. Don't ask about the status of this bill or when it will be voted on (other users are not likely to know). Don't ask a loaded question or for individual advice: Your question will be rejected. After submitting your question it will be reviewed, and if approved will appear here. Nov 19, 2008 6:27 PM - Does this bill apply to student health plans offered by Universities/schools in general? Normally these plans are group plans - Read Answers Answered by a visitor on Sep 3, 2009 4:24 PM - No, this does not apply to student health plans. Student health plans are not considered an "employee welfare plan" as defined by ERISA primarily because they are not employer-sponsored plans. Reference the definition of an ERISA "employee welfare benefit plan" at the following link: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/29/1002.shtml Add another answer. Answer This Question Tips: Reference the text of the bill when possible --- answers with unsourced facts may be rejected. Don't be inflammatory --- it will be edited out! Don't use abbreviations, but stay concise and on-point. Jul 22, 2009 10:33 PM - My employer which is a hospital offers 100% coinsurance for inpatient medicl care. They do not have behavioral health hospital. They offer an inpatient mental health benefit. Will they have to offer the inpatient benefit with 100% coinsurance to be in parity with the medical benefit for inpatient care? - Answer it! Add another answer. Answer This Question Tips: Reference the text of the bill when possible --- answers with unsourced facts may be rejected. Don't be inflammatory --- it will be edited out! Don't use abbreviations, but stay concise and on-point. and 4 more questions.

Sources of Influence

MAPLight.org reports that the following organizations have taken a stance on this bill:

Follow the link to MAPLight.org to see if campaign contributions from employees of these organizations are correlated with how Members of Congress voted on this bill.

{{cite web
|url=http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-6983
|title=H.R. 6983
|accessdate=Nov 21, 2009
|author=110th Congress (2008)
|date=Sep 22, 2008
|work=Legislation
|publisher=GovTrack.us
|quote=Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008
}}