Harkin will push again to have mental illness covered by insurance

Senator Tom Harkin plans to advance legislation that would force insurance companies to cover the costs of treating mental illness. Last year, Harkin authored a similar bill.The bill passed the U-S Senate, but the House refused it, and the Bush Administration opposed it. Harkin says so-called “mental health parity” is just as fair as requiring insurers to cover “the pill” if they pay for Viagra.Harkin says Americans’ mental illness should be covered just like physical illness. On the local level, the Iowa Senate this spring passed a bill that would have forced insurance companies to offer mental health coverage to their Iowa clients, but the bill stalled in the Iowa House.