On Oct. 25, the United States Senate lost a political maverick and a true champion of America's underserved. Senator Paul Wellstone (D-Minnesota) might have been short in stature, but he was a giant when it came to advocating for the needs of our citizens diagnosed with mental illnesses. Part of Wellstone's legacy was his determination and leadership toward implementing national legislation to address the issue of mental health insurance parity.

For people diagnosed with chronic illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes or even schizophrenia, access to quality health care is an important part of everyday life. While the cost of basic health care including doctor visits, prescriptions and necessary hospitalizations can be expensive, most people living with chronic physical illnesses can often rely upon their health insurance to cover most of the costs of treatment. Unfortunately, for people diagnosed with mental illnesses, the same guarantees don't often apply.

Mental illnesses are considered diseases of the brain that currently affect one in five adults. But while most physical illnesses and chronic physical conditions are covered by health insurers, the insurance industries in many states, including New York, are not required to provide the same or equal coverage for mental illnesses. The case for equal insurance coverage for the treatment of mental and physical illnesses is known as parity and it was Senator Paul Wellstone and Senator Pete Domenici (R-New Mexico) who led the fight for insurance equity by introducing the Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act of 2001 in Congress.

This proposed legislation would make it illegal for health insurance plans to discriminate against mental health consumers in terms of their co-payments, deductibles, amount of allowable outpatient visits or inpatient treatment days and annual and lifetime limits on treatment. Although opponents argue that the legislation would be too expensive to afford, the Congressional Budget Office cites figures to the contrary. The Budget Office estimates that the bill would potentially increase insurance premiums by 0.9 percent, while accounting firms such as PricewaterhouseCoopers estimate that implementing the Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act of 2001 would cost subscribers approximately $1.32 per month.

In April of this year, President George W. Bush joined Senators Wellstone and Domenici in expressing his support for parity legislation. The debate on Capitol Hill continues with advocates for the mentally ill, including professional organizations and families pitted against the powerful health insurance lobby on the issue of parity. For many Americans diagnosed with mental illnesses, and for their families, the issue of equality in health care insurance is a battle against discrimination. We cannot keep America strong if we cannot keep America healthy. To lend your support and voice on the issue of parity on behalf of those diagnosed with mental illnesses you can contact your US Senator or member of Congress.

The passage of the Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act of 2001 would result in improving access to quality health care for millions of Americans diagnosed with mental illnesses, and serve as a lasting tribute to the legacy of Senator Paul Wellstone.