Parity supporters have tried for nearly a decade to require South Carolina insurers to cover addiction and mental illness on par with other health problems. This year, the House subcommittee passed a trimmed-down version of the bill, but not before deleting addiction coverage altogether.

"When you don't treat substance abuse, you pay for it on the medical side," said Bonnie Pate of S.C. Share, a mental-health advocacy group, and S.C. Faces and Voices of Recovery.

The compromise bill also caps mental-health treatment at 105 days annually. Critics say that's not parity, but lawmakers said capping services was the only way to get the measure passed. The South Carolina Chamber of Commerce and other business groups opposed the measure, forcing mental-health leaders to compromise.

The bill would require insurance coverage for bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, schizophrenia, adolescent and childhood depression, among other mental-health disorders.

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