Jim Baird: “this is indeed a landmark day in the United States of America in the history of health care because the Congress of the…”

“this is indeed a landmark day in the United States of America in the history of health care because the Congress of the United States, the House of Representatives, is going to say that mental illness deserves treatment and people suffering from mental illness deserve to have that treatment covered under their insurance plans. I want to commend Jim Ramstad and Patrick Kennedy for decades of work on this project. They are American heroes, in my judgment. They joined me for a field hearing in my congressional district where we heard from families, patients and providers about the toll mental illness takes on their lives. As a clinical psychologist who spent 23 years providing mental health care, I want to share with my colleagues this simple fact. I have never met, and I am sure you have never met, anyone who has not been touched personally by a family member, a friend, or a coworker whose lives have been disrupted by mental illness. All of us in some way have been touched by mental illness, in our families, our friends, or our coworkers. What this bill does is say that people suffering from such illnesses will be covered under insurance plans. I want to be clear about one thing. This is research-based, it is effective, it saves lives, and it saves dollars for our economy. Research-based, effective, it saves lives, and it saves dollars. This legislation supports it. Congratulations, Patrick Kennedy and Jim Ramstad.”