The legislation approved by the panel, H.R. 1424, mirrors bills cleared earlier by the House committees on Education and Labor as well as Ways and Means.
The bill would require group health care plans to provide the same coverage for mental health care disorders as they do for other medical conditions. In addition, the plans would also have to cover all mental health care services that are listed in the most recent edition of a diagnostic treatment manual published by the American Psychiatric Assn.
The panel approved the bill after defeating on a 19-9 vote a substitute bill proposed by Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., to ; INSERT in its place a mental health care benefits parity measure the Senate cleared last month.
The House and Senate bills mainly differ in that the Senate bill lacks the House provision dictating the type of mental health care services that group health care plans would have to cover.