Elijah Lewis: “I rise today to give my full support to H.R. 1424, the Paul Wellstone Mental Health Parity Act. Discrimination against…”

“I rise today to give my full support to H.R. 1424, the Paul Wellstone Mental Health Parity Act. Discrimination against mental illness and addiction is wrong. It is dead wrong. Today, we end that discrimination in health insurance. I believe that health care is a right and not a privilege. Until we can provide real and meaningful health coverage to all Americans, we must take each step as it comes to expand coverage. So, today we take an important step, a necessary step in that direction by requiring parity in insurance coverage. I have fought long and hard to end discrimination in this Nation, and we have made some real progress. But people suffering from mental illness and addiction have been left out and left behind, and it's time for us to do what is right when they are told that their illness is not covered by their insurance. That discrimination must end, and it must end now. Mental health parity is a matter of fairness, of equality, and it is the right thing to do. The time is always right to do right.”