A key priority is legislation to provide mental health parity in health insurance.

For this reason, I support mental health parity.

President Bush has endorsed the principle of mental health parity, though not a specific bill.

Over the past few years, "gender mainstreaming" has become a preferred approach for achieving greater health parity between men and women.

Congress should expand upon that sensible and humane step by requiring mental health parity in all group insurance plans.

To the Editor: President Bush is to be commended on his recent statement in support of mental health parity (news article, April 30).

The House recently passed legislation to extend a 1996 law that provided a very limited form of mental health parity.

Democrats have for years favored mental health parity and say that the psychiatric illnesses have for too long been misunderstood.

The law, which also provides mental health parity for seniors on Medicare, was approved over President Bush's veto.

This is often referred to as mental health parity.