Mental Health Parity bill blocked by Hastert (R-IL

[macgirl]

Dennis Hastert (speaker of the house, republican from Illinois) has banded together with insurance companies to block legislation for mental health parity (to cover mental illnesses and physical illnesses at the same level).

I am soooo :reallymad. This legislation has plenty of support and would have passed easily, but Hastert declined to schedule a House vote. Insurance companies (such as BlueCross, United Healthcare, and Wellpoint Health) have worked to defeat the legislation. They spent a combined $thirteen million last year on lobbying.

One of the insurance companies lackeys said they are concerned about covering every mental health illness "from caffeine addiction to adjustments in adulthood". Employers groups are also reluctant to endorse full mental health parity due to cost concerns.

I can't even describe how :reallymad I am. There aren't enough faces for this :fishy ...

[skippy]

I am SO with you on this, Macgirl. I find it totally
infuriating as well. And as far as insurance companies having to cover caffeine addiction, no!!
The DSM authors need to get real about what REALLY constitutes "mental illness." Daily trips
to Starbucks, I don't think so :mad. EDs and wide
range of other issues, absolutely.
Is there anything we can do? Someone we can
write?
:peace ~Skippy

[ribbon]

I've been hearing about mental health parity for at least ten years. I'll believe it when I see it. I definitely don't see it happening with a republican congress and president :reallymad.

[shortstop]

I agree with :ribpink about the politics of it. I also think that there is some ego involved here too. People (most people) aren't at a place where they can say that mental and physical issues are the same. There are still people who think that mental issues are choices or self-inflicted. I know some people with depression, anxiety and other ailments that feel that they don't have a problem that is equal to physical ones such as diabetes. (Please do not read as one is worse than the other.)
I don't think that the legislation will pass until there is more understanding about it. And with the insurance companies stating something like caffeine addiction as a reason they don't want this to pass just shows the ignorance that still exists.

[Millificent]

Macgirl, where did you hear about this? The only information I can find is a couple years old.

:dragon Millie

[macgirl]

One of many links:

http://tinyurl.com/ywtr****

The number at the end is TWO.

[yaya]

Granted we've come a long way with care for the mentally ill. Just because we don't do lobotomies anymore, however doesn't mean we don't have a lot of work to do. I'm so:reallymad too. I hope this person never faces mental illness or a relative. Then on the other hand, they've got $ to get adequate care, I bet. Those who are NOT wealthy and struggle with mental illness get the short end of the stick. I've been there and I'm afraid of going through that again. How do I/we make a difference?!

[shortstop]

Ironically, to beat the system we have to use the system. We have to inform our representatives that this is not acceptable to us. Ultimately, their votes are supposed to be a representation of what the people want. So we have to make it apparent that it's not acceptable for the gov't to put mental health on the back burner. It's a matter of us doing our own lobbying.
(Gosh, don't I sound optimistic and hopeful about how the system could/should work???!!!! :ohboy)