Even More Mental Health Mandates !

[AllenChicago]

Is this story describing Mental Health laws/mandates that were passed separate from Health Care Reform?

New Laws Expand Mental Health Coverage - Kaiser Health News

The article seems to be describing laws that are totally disconnected from the 9/23/10 mandates that force health insurance companies to pay for mental health screening and counseling.

What's with this country? I've never in my 50 years seen so much emphasis on mental issues. I blame Oprah for starting it all with the "touchy-feely" television episodes... (i.e. OPRAH: "Don't be so hard on yourself! You're an ax murderer-rapist because your aunt washed your genitals too rough when you were a baby. Now go and get some of that new free counseling that my man Obama has made available!")


-Allen

 

[Paradigm]

Re: Even More Mental Health Mandates...Argh!

Is this story describing Mental Health laws/mandates that were passed separate from Health Care Reform?

New Laws Expand Mental Health Coverage - Kaiser Health News

The article seems to be describing laws that are totally disconnected from the 9/23/10 mandates that force health insurance companies to pay for mental health screening and counseling.

What's with this country? I've never in my 50 years seen so much emphasis on mental issues. I blame Oprah for starting it all with the "touchy-feely" television episodes... (i.e. OPRAH: "Don't be so hard on yourself! You're an ax murderer-rapist because your aunt washed your genitals too rough when you were a baby. Now go and get some of that new free counseling that my man Obama has made available!")


-Allen

Remember according to the shrinks and quacks who wrote the DSM IV there are no sane people just varying levels of pathology. According to them everyone is mentally ill to some degree. This is just another example of the weakness we have allowed to inundate this country. While there are severely mentally ill people out there there is no evidence that all the people who claim ptsd, depression, anxiety and panic attacks are actually ill. They just fail to realize that life isnt perfect and many of them just need to be slapped back into reality.

 

[arnguy]

Re: Even More Mental Health Mandates...Argh!

The truth be known, everyone is at least a little bit nuts. It comes down to a matter of degree!

 

[jbage007]

Re: Even More Mental Health Mandates...Argh!

Once upon a time I too frowned at this mental health thing. Probably even laughed about it.

Then about 6 weeks ago a good friend of mine took her life only 3 days before her 22nd birthday, in part because she was losing coverage under her dad's Blue Cross plan due to no longer being a student (she had graduated from law school -yes, law school- at the age of 21). Although she could have hopped back on the plan in about 4 months (Jan 1 the "new plan year" would kick in and allow her back on her dad's plan under the new age 26 and under dependent thing) she was paranoid (loose use of that term) about losing her coverage for even that long.

Needless to say, she had mental health issues among other things. But her mental health condition led to numerous trips to the ER and countless doc visits, Rx drugs etc. The cost was staggering to her at her young age and of course she was totally uninsurable on her own.

I am now at a point where I GET IT. People who need this coverage REALLY NEED IT. In my (new) view, mental health should be afforded the same full coverage as any other illness, or accident. As I understand it, about 1 in 10 Americans suffer from some form of mental illness - that's a lot. No need to leave them undercovered in this new era of health care coverage.

Read about her here

 

[dgoldenz]

Re: Even More Mental Health Mandates...Argh!

Once upon a time I too frowned at this mental health thing. Probably even laughed about it.

Then about 6 weeks ago a good friend of mine took her life only 3 days before her 22nd birthday, in part because she was losing coverage under her dad's Blue Cross plan due to no longer being a student (she had graduated from law school -yes, law school- at the age of 21). Although she could have hopped back on the plan in about 4 months (Jan 1 the "new plan year" would kick in and allow her back on her dad's plan under the new age 26 and under dependent thing) she was paranoid (loose use of that term) about losing her coverage for even that long.

Needless to say, she had mental health issues among other things. But her mental health condition led to numerous trips to the ER and countless doc visits, Rx drugs etc. The cost was staggering to her at her young age and of course she was totally uninsurable on her own.

I am now at a point where I GET IT. People who need this coverage REALLY NEED IT. In my (new) view, mental health should be afforded the same full coverage as any other illness, or accident. As I understand it, about 1 in 10 Americans suffer from some form of mental illness - that's a lot. No need to leave them undercovered in this new era of health care coverage.

Read about her here

Sad. It's easy to argue that most mental health issues can be controlled, but also easy to see the other side when you see stories like that. RIP

 

[ABC]

Re: Even More Mental Health Mandates...Argh!

The Mental Health Parity has already gone into effect prior to federal reform. Group with 50 employee or more had to add this benefit at a cost of about 1.75% increase in premium.

Federal reform has trumped the this act to where we will have metal health and substance abuse covered as any other illness on small group and Individual.

It will be interesting to see what impact this will have on rates long term. A 30 day inpatient stay for substance abuse is in the ball park of $17,000 and that could be on the low end. I predict that we will see a lot more inpatient stays.

 

[jbage007]

Re: Even More Mental Health Mandates...Argh!

Agreed. I do note that the "full coverage" is only required IF you provide ANY mental/nervous, and some plans still are opting to include NONE at this point at least.

 

[stuy119]

Re: Even More Mental Health Mandates...Argh!

The Mental Health Parity has already gone into effect prior to federal reform. Group with 50 employee or more had to add this benefit at a cost of about 1.75% increase in premium.

Federal reform has trumped the this act to where we will have metal health and substance abuse covered as any other illness on small group and Individual.

It will be interesting to see what impact this will have on rates long term. A 30 day inpatient stay for substance abuse is in the ball park of $17,000 and that could be on the low end. I predict that we will see a lot more inpatient stays.

I wonder if we'll see fewer drug tests around the office (or more, conversely) as a way to get rid of those employees or just keep the issue hidden and hope they leave before needing rehab.

 

[Suis]

Re: Even More Mental Health Mandates...Argh!

Once upon a time I too frowned at this mental health thing. Probably even laughed about it.>>>>
I've always thought mental health issues should be covered - the head and brain are not separate from the body. Illness is illness. And I see too much of it now. Coverage should be more for Preventing it. Counseling - including genetic, nutritional, emotional, etc. Our family is very much into alternative care - we pay for it as it's never insured - but then none of us need medication or have debilitating health issues, not even my 81 year old dad or my 96 year old uncle or his mom who lived to 104. No meds - The drs. never can believe it! Give me chiropractors (AK), massage therapists, reflexologists, local health food stores, nutritionists, and general check ups any day!

 

[AllenChicago]

Re: Even More Mental Health Mandates...Argh!

It almost seems as if the people in Washington are making mental health mandates a top priority because their policies will generate a bumper crop of mental illnesses.

By the way, does being diagnosed with a mental illness show up on the Medical Information Bureau? From there it could make its way into all sorts of databases used by the FBI, would-be employers, counter-terrorism agencies, lenders, etc..

-AC