Source: Chris L. Jenkins Washington Post ( Free Registration )

An estimated 113 million Americans, including hundreds of thousands in the Washington region, will receive better insurance coverage for their mental health and substance abuse problems because of landmark legislation that for the first time requires mental and physical illnesses to be treated equally.

The law is a culmination of a decade of lobbying and negotiating among advocates for the mentally ill, the insurance industry, the business community—including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce—and doctors’ groups. The change, which was included in the economic rescue package signed by President Bush last week, will take effect Jan. 1, 2010, for most plans. Businesses with 50 or fewer employees would be exempt.

For decades, insurance companies could offer less coverage for the treatment of depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder than of such diseases as cancer and diabetes—so people with mental illness or substance abuse problems often had to pay for expensive treatment and medication out-of-pocket. 

Read Full Article: Law equalizes coverage for mental care