article: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Equitable Health Care for Severe Mental Illnesses Act of 1993''. SEC. 2. FINDINGS. Congress finds that-- (1) American families should have health insurance protection for the costs of treating severe mental illnesses that is commensurate with the protection provided for other illnesses; (2) currently, many private health insurance policies and public insurance programs discriminate against persons with severe mental illnesses by providing more restrictive coverage for treatments of those illnesses compared to coverage provided for treatments of other medical problems; (3) many health insurance plans limit the number of days allowed for facility care or limit the number of outpatient visits allowed for the treatment of severe mental illnesses while providing no limit for the treatment of other physical illnesses; (4) only 21 percent of all health insurance policies provide inpatient coverage for severe mental illnesses comparable to coverage for other illnesses, and only 2 percent have comparable outpatient coverage; (5) only 2 percent of Americans with private health care coverage have policies that adequately and fairly cover severe mental illnesses; (6) over 60 percent of health maintenance and preferred provider organizations specifically exclude treatment for those with severe mental illnesses; (7) private health insurance provides some type of coverage for 64 percent of all individuals with severe mental illness, but provides only 46 percent of the annual expenditures required for the treatment of severe mental illnesses; (8) health care reform plans designed to make health care more accessible and affordable often incorporate the policies that are discriminatory with respect to persons with severe mental illnesses which now exist in common private health insurance plans; (9) unequal health insurance coverage contributes to the destructive and unfair stigmatization of persons with severe mental illnesses, illnesses that are beyond the control of the individuals, just like cancer, diabetes, and other serious physical health problems; (10) schizophrenia strikes more than 2,500,000 Americans over the course of their lifetimes, and approximately 30 percent of all hospitalized psychiatric patients in the United States suffer from this most disabling group of mental disorders; (11) left untreated, severe mental illnesses are some of the most disabling and destructive illnesses afflicting Americans; (12) studies have found that up to 90 percent of all persons who commit suicide suffer from a treatable severe mental illness, such as schizophrenia, depression, or manic depressive illness; (13) some 10 percent of all inmates, or 100,000 people, in prisons and jails in the United States suffer from schizophrenia or manic-depressive psychosis; (14) severe mental illness places an individual at high risk for homelessness, as approximately one-third of the Nation's 600,000 homeless persons suffer from severe mental illnesses; (15) many persons suffering from severe mental illnesses can be treated effectively but ignorance and stigma continue to prevent many mentally ill individuals from obtaining help; (16) seventy to 80 percent of those suffering from depression respond quickly to treatment and 80 percent of the victims of schizophrenia can be relieved of acute symptoms with proper medication; (17) about 95 percent of what is known about both normal and abnormal structure and function of the brain has been learned in the last 10 years, but millions of severely mentally ill people have yet to benefit from these startling research advances in clinical and basic neuroscience; (18) ensuring adequate health insurance coverage for the treatment of severe mental illnesses can reduce health and societal costs by as much as $2,200,000,000 annually by preventing more costly interventions in the lives of persons with untreated severe mental illnesses and by helping those with severe mental illnesses, many of whom are young adults, remain productive members of society; and (19) legislation to reform the health care system should not condone or perpetuate discrimination against persons with severe mental illnesses. SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. (a) In General.--It is the policy of the United States that-- (1) persons with severe mental illnesses must not be discriminated against in the health care system; and (2) health care coverage, whether provided through public or private health insurance or any other means of financing, must provide for the treatment of severe mental illnesses in a manner that is equitable and commensurate with that provided for other major physical illnesses. (b) Construction.--Subsection (a) shall not be construed to preclude the adoption of laws or policies requiring or providing for appropriate and equitable coverage for other mental health services. SEC. 4. NONDISCRIMINATORY AND EQUITABLE HEALTH CARE COVERAGE. With respect to persons with severe mental illnesses, to be considered nondiscriminatory and equitable under this Act, health care coverage shall cover services that are essential to the effective treatment of severe mental illnesses in a manner that-- (1) is not more restrictive than coverage provided for other major physical illnesses; (2) provides adequate financial protection to the person requiring the medical treatment for a severe mental illness; and (3) is consistent with effective and common methods of controlling health care costs for other major physical illnesses. SEC. 5. COMMITMENT TO POLICY. It is the purpose of this Act to commit the Congress and the Executive Branch to incorporating the policy set forth in section 3 through efforts, including the enactment of legislation, which are intended to improve access to or control the costs of health care. SEC. 6. DEFINITION. As used in this Act, the term ``severe mental illness'' means an illness that is defined through diagnosis, disability and duration, and includes disorders with psychotic symptoms such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, manic depressive disorder, autism, as well as severe forms of other disorders such as major depression, panic disorder, and obsessive compulsive disorder.
summary: Equitable Health Care for Severe Mental Illnesses Act of 1993 - Declares that it is the policy of the United States that: (1) persons with severe mental illnesses must not be discriminated against in health care; and (2) health care coverage, provided through any financing, must provide for the treatment of severe mental illnesses in a way that is equitable and commensurate with that provided for other major illnesses. Requires health care coverage, in order to be considered nondiscriminatory and equitable under this Act, to cover services that are essential to the effective treatment of severe mental illnesses in a manner that: (1) is not more restrictive than coverage provided for other major physical illnesses; (2) provides adequate financial protection to the person requiring the medical treatment for a severe mental illness; and (3) is consistent with effective and common methods of controlling health care costs for other major physical illnesses.