Whether Pataki will sign new mandate on health insurance for mental disorders unknown

By RICK KARLIN, Capitol bureau
First published: Saturday, September 16, 2006

ALBANY -- The state Senate Friday passed a bill forcing insurers to treat mental health disorders like any other medical ailment, but it was unclear if Gov. George Pataki would sign the measure before he leaves office at the end of December.

"We'll look at it," was all Pataki would say of his plans for Timothy's Law, named for Timothy O'Clair, a 12-year-old Rotterdam resident who committed suicide in 2001 after repeated bouts of depression.

The O'Clair family's insurance had given out and they were forced to give up custody of the boy so he could be treated.

Since Timothy's death, his father Tom O'Clair has campaigned for measures to have mental health problems covered in the same way as physical ailments.

Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, R-Brunswick, said he was confident Pataki would sign the measure, which senators approved 55-0. But Pataki said he didn't recall discussing it with Bruno.

It is unclear whether the Assembly will return to act on the bill before January, but the chamber has passed similar bills.

"I'm totally hopeful," said Assemblyman Paul Tonko, D-Amsterdam, who has sponsored the latest Assembly bill.

The law strikes a chord for Bruno, whose 20-year-old granddaughter, Rachel Bruno, disappeared this summer and was found in Manhattan with a man she met on the Internet. Bruno later explained the young woman had long suffered from severe anorexia, and that after her return she went into treatment.

"All of us are touched in some way with a tragedy or an illness that deals with mental health," Bruno said.

The bill requires insurers to cover attention deficit and other disorders for those under 18 if there are suicidal or dangerous symptoms. For all ages, it mandates coverage for biologically rooted mental illnesses like schizophrenia, major depression and bipolar disorder.

Insurers would have to cover 30 inpatient days and 20 outpatient days.

Insurers, including many of the state's Blue Cross and Blue Shield carriers, already offer such plans, but fear the law could drive up insurance costs, said Mark Amodeo, spokesman for the state conference of Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans.

Lawmakers noted the law includes money to pay premium increases for companies with 50 or fewer employees. Some estimates on how much that would cost the state have run to $60 million.

Rick Karlin can be by e-mail at rkarlin@timesunion.com

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