(September 11, 2003) - ALBANY - Mental-health activists urged the state Senate on Wednesday to pass a bill that would make health insurers provide more coverage for people with mental illnesses.

Supporters of the bill, which they call " Timothy's Law," told a Senate hearing that coverage for mental-health services should be at the same level as for physical illnesses. Under current law, most insurance plans allow only a limited number of doctor visits for mental-health patients.

" How can a great state such as New York continue to allow its citizens suffering from mental illness and chemical dependency to go untreated, under-treated, and unfairly treated?" said Melissa Devine of the National Association of Social Workers.

Critics of " Timothy's Law" said that requiring insurance companies to fully cover mental illness services would drive up premiums and add to the " crisis of affordability" of insurance that already faces small-business owners. The Legislature and Gov. George Pataki have added several high-profile insurance-coverage mandates in the last few years.

" It is difficult to see why the Legislature would want to pass any additional measures that would further increase premiums," said Pamela Finch of the Employer Alliance for Affordable Health Care.

" Timothy's Law" is named after a 12-year-old Schenectady boy who committed suicide in 2001. Like many other parents of mentally ill children, Timothy's parents had to turn him over to the state to get treatment after they had exhausted their mental-health coverage. That allowed him to spend seven months in a residential treatment center before returning home. He committed suicide a few weeks later.