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Bill broadens insurance mandate Hannon's travails led to his support By PETER WONG SALEM -- State Sen. Lenn Hannon, who was treated for alcoholism last year, has more than a casual interest in a bill requiring health insurance policies to give equal coverage for treatment of mental illness and alcohol and drug dependency. "It's an issue I feel strongly about," he said Tuesday as he introduced the bill. "Somebody helped me get into treatment. I'm not a crusader and I don't want to try to save the world. But I want to make sure somebody else is not denied the access to treatment that I had the good fortune to have." The Ashland Republican underwent about a month of treatment that was underwritten largely by insurance policies of his employer, Standard Insurance Co. of Oregon, and state government. Without that coverage, he said, "I'd be confronted with a high personal bill" of several thousand dollars. Senate Bill 529, which Hannon is sponsoring, would require group health insurance policies to provide the same coverage for treatment of mental illness and alcohol and drug dependency as they do for physical illnesses or injuries. Hannon, an insurance agent who's been in the Legislature 24 years, said his own experience last year caused him to reverse his long-standing opposition to adding or changing state requirements for group health insurance coverage. "If something is right, it's right," he said. "We treat symptoms but not the cause. We're willing to treat physical problems and thereby treat the `cause' when we really don't." Mark Nelson, a lobbyist for Oregon Clinical Social Workers, said 19 states have laws similar to what Hannon is proposing. According to an analysis commissioned by the bill's supporters, Nelson said, net employer contributions for health insurance costs would rise by $1.27 per member per month. A representative of the Health Insurance Association of America could not be reached for comment, but insurance and some business interests have opposed adding health insurance requirements known as "mandates." The Oregon Medical Association supports the bill. "The broad spectrum of sickness encompasses mental and physical disorders that are often inseparable," said Dr. Frank Baumeister, a Portland physician and past president of the medical association. "The artificial mind-body dichotomy implicit in current health insurance coverage is unenlightened and antiquated." Oregon has required group health insurance policies to cover treatment for mental illness and alcohol and drug dependency since 1983. But many of those policies have limited payments, duration of treatment or number of visits. Three years ago, the federal government lifted lifetime and annual spending limits for mental and physical health coverage. But the changes do not apply to policies that limit the duration of coverage or the number of visits for mental health treatment. They also do not apply to businesses with fewer than 50 employees. Hannon's bill would apply to both. Hannon said the limits on insurance coverage force most people to pay their own treatment costs, "and most people cannot afford it." Nelson acknowledged that expected opposition from insurance companies will make it tough for the bill. "The constituencies for the bill are out there, but they are largely silent," he said. "You do not have a constituency out there, members of whom are walking forth, saying they have mental health problems or alcohol and drug problems, and asking their employers why their insurers don't provide these kind of services." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA