The House and Senate both passed mental health parity legislation on September 23, 2008, but the fate of the initiative still is in doubt for procedural reasons.   Both versions of the measure would prohibit health plans that offer mental health coverage from imposing more restrictive financial requirements or treatment limitations for mental health and addiction benefits than are applied to comparable covered medical and surgical benefits. While the House passed H.R. 6983, the “Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008” as a freestanding bill, the Senate approved its version of the measure as part of a larger energy and tax package, H.R. 6049. The same bill must be approved by the House and Senate before Congress adjourns for the year — which could come as early as this week — in order for it to be sent to the President for his signature.