health problems. These inequalities in the spending and coverage of mental illness and physical illness prompted legislature and advocacy groups to take action. The federal Mental Health Parity Act (MHPA) was enacted in 1996 and was implemented in January of 1998. History of Parity LegislationDuring the 1980’s and early 1990’s the notion that mental illnesses were biologically based began to surface. It was during this period that researcher found that most mental disorders had excellent success rates with the proper treatment allowing for the person to return to work and be a productive. In the early 1990’s many advocacy groups started vocalizing their opinions on the lack of mental health benefits offered by businesses and healthcare organizations. These advocacy groups brought stories of families forced to use below par state mental health facilities die to the lack of mental health benefits offered through their employers struck a chord in many Americans. Thus, the quest for mental health parity was born. Mental health parity has come along way and fought a hard fight. Because mental health parity is such a “hot” topic it is hard to get a legislative consensus. Many compromises had to be made in order for the MHPA of 1996 to be passed. Two very important players in the legislative battle for mental health parity were senators Pete Domenici (Rep.) and Paul Wellstone (Dem.). In July of 1996, Domenici and Wellstone brought forth a much-compromised amendment to Senate Bill 1171, The Health Insurance Reform Act. SB 1171 did not originally include mental health parity. The bill stated that workers would be able to continue with their insurance in the event that they lost or changed jobs and that health insurance companies would not be able to deny anyone coverage due to pre-existing conditions. The goals of Domenici and Wellstone’s amendment goal were to include parity on lifetime and an...
