David Wellstone speaks with Minnesota Public Radio about what the importance of the Wellstone Act.

The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives both passed consensus versions of the addiction and mental-health parity bill on Sept. 23, a historic vote that brings the goal of equal coverage for behavioral-health problems closer to reality than ever before.  While tantalizingly close to final passage, however, the recently renamed Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act still faces several significant procedural hurdles before it can be sent to President Bush for his expected approval (the administration this week issued a statement supporting parity).

Six years after his father died in a plane crash, David Wellstone is on the cusp of seeing passage of an initiative that would be the late Sen. Paul Wellstone's legacy. The House and Senate each passed versions of the Wellstone-Domenici legislation, which would require private insurers to provide the same level of benefits for treatment of mental illness as they do for physical maladies.

Imagine this scenario: To control costs, a giant health insurer announces that it's singling out heart disease patients. From now on, it will charge them higher co-pays and put lifetime limits on the number of times they can see a doctor for their condition.  The ensuing outrage would be loud and vitriolic. And rightfully so. It's wrong to target one group of patients.

House Approves Mental Health Bill