Domenici talks with TIME about mental health parity

The current edition of TIME magazine features an interview with retiring U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici about Congress’ recent approval of a bill that mandates mental health parity in the insurance industry.

The Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 was included in the financial bailout bill approved earlier this month by Congress and the president. Domenici, who is retiring because he has been diagnosed with a degenerative brain disease, has a daughter who suffers from schizophrenia. As I’ve reported, he worked for years with a bipartisan group of senators to get the bill passed.

TIME spoke with Domenici about the legislation, the state of mental health care in America and his hopes for the future. In the article, Domenici calls insurance parity “almost a civil-rights issue” and says he worked so long to get the bill passed that, instead of feeling excitement when it was approved, his thought was, “It’s finally over.”

Domenici acknowledges in the interview that members of his own party — Republicans — in the House were largely responsible for the delay in approving the bill.

You can read more, including Domenici’s hopes for how his colleagues will continue to fight for the mentally ill after he leaves Congress, by clicking here.