After 12 years of effort to pass legislation requiring insurance companies to cover mental illnesses just like other medical conditions, Sen. Domenici, who started this quest, and mental health organizations finally got the response to their efforts. The legislation, known as mental health parity, becomes law after more than twenty years of struggle.

Sen. Pete Domenici started his quest after his daughter Clare, one of his eight children, was diagnosed with atypical schizophrenia. He got involved in the parity issue after joining a National Alliance on Mental Illness support group nearly 20 years ago.

President Bush signed the bill into law after it was tacked onto the $700 billion financial bailout bill. The plan was backed by a 263-171 vote in the House of Representatives before being signed by the President. The bill bars insurers from charging higher deductibles, co-payments, coinsurance or out-of-pocket expenses, or imposing limits including frequency of treatment, number of visits and days of coverage for mental health and addiction care.

The law also requires the US Department of Labor to report to Congress every two years on how group health plans are complying with the law.

"After 10 years of debate, Congress has finally agreed to end discrimination in health insurance coverage that plagues persons living with mental illness for so long," Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy said in a statement. His son, Rhode Island Democratic Rep. Patrick Kennedy, helped lead the fight for the bill in the House along with Minnesota Republican Rep. Jim Ramstad.

"This is a historic day and a great civil rights victory for millions of Americans who have been unable to access mental health treatment," said David Shern, the nonprofit Mental Health America’s president and CEO.