Senators introduce SCHIP bill to provide mental health parity for children: legislation would end discriminatory treatment of mental health care.(State Children's Health Insurance Program)

While congressional efforts are still underway to reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), Senate lawmakers last week introduced new legislation that would end discriminatory treatment of mental health care under SCHIP. The new legislation would make the coverage of mental health services equal with any other medical service.

SCHIP is a partnership between the federal government and the states to fund and provide health insurance for children in mostly working families with incomes too high to qualify for Medicaid but too low to afford private coverage. Created in 1997, the program gave states three options as they devised plans to cover uninsured low-income children. Under the SCHIP program, states can elect to expand their existing Medicaid program to cover uninsured low-income children or they can opt to establish a separate insurance program.

Mental …