Business
Sun Life U.S. congratulates Congressmen DeSaulnier and Scott on introduction of historic legislation to enhance coverage of mental health conditions in long-term disability insurance
Dan Fishbein, M.D., president, Sun Life U.S., released the following statement in support of the Workers' Disability Benefits Parity Act, introduced today by Congressmen Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10) and Robert Scott (VA-03). This legislation would enhance long-term disability insurance benefits by requiring that mental health conditions be covered similarly to most physical conditions. Sun Life first called on Congress in 2023 to make these improvements to disability coverage.
About this update from Sun Life Financial Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"WELLESLEY, Mass., June 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Dan Fishbein, M.D., president, Sun Life U.S., released the following statement in support of the Workers' Disability Benefits Parity Act, introduced today by Congressmen Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10) and Robert Scott (VA-03). This legislation would enhance long-term disability insurance benefits by requiring that mental health conditions be covered similarly to most physical conditions. Sun Life first called on Congress in 2023 to make these improvements to disability coverage.","length":532,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"image","alt":"Sun Life Financial Logo (PRNewsfoto/Sun Life Financial)","displaySize":"","headline":null,"caption":"Sun Life Financial Logo (PRNewsfoto/Sun Life Financial)","className":"","disableSlideshowImg":false,"size":{"original":{"width":400,"height":105,"url":"https://media.zenfs.com/en/prnewswire.com/e54db0d15ee69cdb07e6f5d9bcdc9157"},"resized":{"url":"https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/lEfdKyfOd4aIDf93bXFmhA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTcwNTtoPTE4NTtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/prnewswire.com/e54db0d15ee69cdb07e6f5d9bcdc9157","width":400,"height":105}},"href":"https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/551020/Sun_Life_V3_Logo.html","hrefExternal":true,"rel":"nofollow"},{"type":"text","content":""This legislation rightly recognizes that mental health is health, and makes sure that workers will have the financial security they need to take care of themselves and their families, regardless of the cause of their disability. Mental health conditions must be given the same consideration as physical conditions in healthcare and in workplace benefits, especially disability coverage. A mental health condition can be just as disabling as a physical one, and can last just as long. Currently, most long-term disability benefits are typically capped at 24 months for mental health conditions. There should be a uniform federal standard to ensure long-term disability benefits cover mental health and physical conditions at the same level and length.","length":756,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"This is an opportunity to evolve the way we address mental health diagnoses in the assessment of a person's ability to work. Stronger mental health expertise and management, paired with the vocational support already embedded in disability insurance, will help more people ge...