With just days to go before the end of the legislative session in Albany, the New York State Senate is positioned to take some action towards passing legislation that addresses the historical disparity relative to the availability of insurance coverage for mental illnesses and other psychiatric disabilities. While New York State might be in a position to implement parity legislation to cover children diagnosed with psychiatric and emotional illnesses, as well as other identified segments of the disabled population, we are still awaiting the passage of similar legislation in Washington.

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 industry in many states, including New York is 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 the late Senator Paul Wellstone and Senator Pete Domenici who led the fight for insurance equity by introducing the Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act of 2001 in Congress.

This proposed legislation, which has been introduced several times during the course of the past three years, 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 sites 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 would cost subscribers approximately $1.32 per month. The same statistic holds firm in New York State in relation to the anticipated costs associated with the introduction of the Timothy's Law parity legislation.

The debate on Capitol Hill and in Albany 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 State Senator or Assembly member. The passage of Timothy's Law in New York State during this legislative session would result in improving access to quality health care for those New Yorkers and the millions of Americans diagnosed with mental illnesses.