Senate requires equal coverage for mental health services.(Brief Article)

The Senate passed legislation that prohibits health insurance plans from charging higher co-payments or imposing more limits on mental health coverage than they do for other medical and surgical benefits.

The legislation was adopted as an amendment to an appropriations bill and will not become law unless it is also agreed to by the House and signed by the president.

The bill does not require employers to offer mental health benefits -- it only applies to health plans that already cover mental health.

"This bill goes a long way toward our bipartisan goal to end the discrimination in health care coverage of mental illness," says Sen. PAUL WELLSTONE, …