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HR 1402 109th Congress House Health Access to health care Alcoholism Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues Coinsurance Commerce Congress Congressional investigations Congressional reporting requirements Discrimination in insurance Discrimination in medical care Drug abuse Drug abuse treatment Employee health benefits Finance and Financial Sector Health insurance Insurance premiums Labor and Employment Managed care Medical economics

Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act of 2005

Introduced: March 17, 2005 See on congress.gov
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This bill died when the 109th Congress ended
It never became law before the 109th Congress (2005–2006) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 5 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Sep 28, 2006
Motion to Discharge Committee filed by Mr. Kennedy (RI). Petition No: 109-18. (Discharge petition text with signatures.)
Apr 18, 2005
Referred to the Subcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations.
Mar 22, 2005
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Chairman.
Mar 17, 2005
Referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Mar 17, 2005
Introduced in House
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 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act of 2005 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Public Health Service Act to prohibit a group health plan or group health coverage that provides both medical and surgical benefits and mental health benefits from imposing treatment limitations or financial requirements on the mental health benefits unless comparable limitations or requirements are imposed on medical and surgical benefits. Excludes such requirements for plans and coverage for small employers.

Allows a plan or coverage that provides in-network mental health benefits to provide out-of-network mental health benefits using treatment limitations or financial requirements that are not comparable to those applied to medical-surgical benefits if the in-network mental health benefits are provided at parity with medical-surgical benefits and with reasonable access.

Requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to: (1) study the effects of this Act on health insurance costs and access and quality of health care; and (2) provide a cost estimation of extending such requirements to the treatment of substance abuse and chemical dependency.

What's happening now September 28, 2006

Motion to Discharge Committee filed by Mr. Kennedy (RI). Petition No: 109-18. (<a href="http://clerk.house.gov/109/lrc/pd/Petitions/Dis18.htm">Discharge petition</a> text with signatures.)

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 4
 Cosponsors 41
All 41 Democratic 38 Republican 2 Independent 1
D
Moore, Gwen
Wisconsin · Mar 16, 2006
 D
Norton, Eleanor Holmes
District of Columbia · Nov 16, 2005
 D
Clyburn, James E.
South Carolina · Oct 6, 2005
 D
Thompson, Mike
California · Sep 27, 2005
 R
Wilson, Joe
South Carolina · Sep 27, 2005
 D
DeGette, Diana
Colorado · Sep 20, 2005
 I
Sanders, Bernard
Vermont · Sep 13, 2005
 D
Sherman, Brad
California · Sep 8, 2005
 D
Van Hollen, Chris
Maryland · Jul 29, 2005
 D
Waters, Maxine
California · Jul 29, 2005
 D
Bishop, Sanford D.
Georgia · Jul 28, 2005
 D
Case, Ed
Hawaii · Jul 28, 2005
 D
Davis, Danny K.
Illinois · Jul 28, 2005
 D
Hoyer, Steny H.
Maryland · Jul 28, 2005
 D
Larsen, Rick
Washington · Jul 28, 2005
 D
Lofgren, Zoe
California · Jul 28, 2005
 D
Markey, Edward J.
Massachusetts · Jul 28, 2005
 D
Neal, Richard E.
Massachusetts · Jul 28, 2005
 D
Schiff, Adam B.
California · Jul 28, 2005
 D
Scott, Robert C. "Bobby"
Virginia · Jul 28, 2005
 D
Smith, Adam
Washington · Jul 28, 2005
 D
Wasserman Schultz, Debbie
Florida · Jul 28, 2005
 D
Larson, John B.
Connecticut · Jul 27, 2005
 D
Lynch, Stephen F.
Massachusetts · Jul 27, 2005
 D
Matsui, Doris O.
California · Jul 27, 2005
 D
Meeks, Gregory W.
New York · Jul 27, 2005
 D
Nadler, Jerrold
New York · Jul 27, 2005
 D
Pelosi, Nancy
California · Jul 27, 2005
 D
Costa, Jim
California · Jul 26, 2005
 D
Cuellar, Henry
Texas · Jul 26, 2005
 D
Sánchez, Linda T.
California · Jul 26, 2005
 D
Velázquez, Nydia M.
New York · Jul 26, 2005
 R
Smith, Christopher H.
New Jersey · Jul 22, 2005
 D
McGovern, James P.
Massachusetts · Jul 14, 2005
 D
Doggett, Lloyd
Texas · Jun 30, 2005
 D
Pallone, Frank
New Jersey · Jun 29, 2005
 D
Baldwin, Tammy
Wisconsin · Jun 9, 2005
 D
McCollum, Betty
Minnesota · May 12, 2005
 D
Schakowsky, Janice D.
Illinois · May 12, 2005
 D
DeLauro, Rosa L.
Connecticut · May 5, 2005
 D
Kaptur, Marcy
Ohio · Apr 13, 2005
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 1402: Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act of 2005. 109th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/109-HR-1402/
MLA
"H.R. 1402: Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act of 2005." 109th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/109-HR-1402/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 1402, 109th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/109-HR-1402/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 1402: Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act of 2005](https://openamerica.io/bill/109-HR-1402/)
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