NFIB responds to mental health benefits legislation

Dan Danner, senior vice president of the National Federation of Independent Business, April 29 released the following statement in response to President Bush's comments in support of legislation that would force employers to offer mental-health benefits: "The road to lost health coverage is paved with good intentions. A well-intentioned costly mandate is still just a costly mandate at its core. No matter how well-intentioned, more mandates will force health-insurance costs to continue skyrocketing... and cause even more Americans to go without the care they need.

"The best way to make sure more Americans get the physical and mental-health care they need is to help make health insurance more affordable, especially for small employers.

"More than 90 percent of small-business employees who have health insurance already have access to mental-health benefits, but the sad irony is that the number of Americans with health insurance could actually go down if costly mandates continue to drive up the cost for all patients.

"Guaranteed mental-health coverage in an insurance policy doesn't do much good if even fewer people can afford the policy in the first place.

"In the past, President Bush has shown a clear understanding of the plight of the uninsured, especially when he endorsed legislation creating Association Health Plans. "Hopefully, he will again show that understanding as mental-health parity legislation and other mandates are given further consideration on Capitol Hill."