text: 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.
target: 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.
feat_title: Equitable Health Care for Severe Mental Illnesses Act of 1993