Mentally Ill Benefit From Bailout Bill

Better Health Insurance For Patients With Depression, Schizophrenia Part Of Package

(AP)  People with mental illness would get better health insurance coverage as part of a giant financial bailout the Senate passed Wednesday, but the legislation's fate remains uncertain.

The Senate passed the bill, 74-25. It must now go to the House, where a majority of lawmakers rejected the $700 billion rescue earlier this week.

Patients seeking treatment for depression or schizophrenia often face greater restrictions with their health insurance coverage than do patients getting treatment for heart disease or diabetes. For example, they often must pay more out of pocket when seeking treatment than do patients with physical problems. Also, insurers sometimes cover fewer visits for mental health treatments than they will for someone getting care for physical ailments.

Both the House and the Senate have overwhelmingly passed legislation that would prevent group health plans with 51 or more employees from imposing such unequal standards.

Still, the two chambers have to pass an exact, final version of the mental health legislation before it can become law, and supporters are running out of time. The bailout legislation will be one of the last, if not the last major bill of the year. Lawmakers are anxious to get back to their home states and districts to campaign for the Nov. 4 election.

"There is renewed hope for millions of Americans facing mental illness," Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., who has worked for the bill for more than a decade, said in a statement from his home in Hyannis Port, Mass., where he is recovering after treatment for brain cancer. He urged the House to act.

"Millions of Americans are waiting and they've waited too long already," said Kennedy. His son, Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I. has worked for the bill in the House.

The legislation does not mandate that group health plans cover mental health or addiction treatment, only that when plans do so, the coverage must be equitable to other medical coverage.

Business groups as well as advocacy groups supported the improved insurance coverage, which is expected to cost $3.4 billion over 10 years as private companies deduct more health expenses from federal income taxes. Lawmakers who backed the measure said mental disorders are a leading cause of disability in the United States and that success rates for treatment often equal or surpass those for physical conditions.

[wl7bzh]

As for trying to make comparisons to diabetes, this is indeed another scam to a great extent. Most, but not all, cases are avoidable, treatable or curable. The problem is that not all docters (the real kind) try for a cure. They bilk the patient for as long as possible by "treating" the problem instead of curing or better yet teaching the patient to avoid it.

Posted by curious_mind at 12:25 AM : Oct 03, 2008

Thank you for the comment about diabetes management.

Truth is diabetes is almost a specialty in itself. Most primary care providers don''t have the training to manage it as you so aptly pointed out.

thanx agin.

[wl7bzh]

either feather62 or wi7bzh made a comment about stomachs on those with type 2 diabetes- whichever one made the comment is totally ignorant - type 2 diabetes is an inability of the body to properly handle insulin- this results in an accumulation of fat around the middle. I''''ve gome to the gym 5-6 days a week since being diagnosed- I use a number of weight machines and do 2-3.5 miles on a tradmill- I''''ve done this for 2.5 years- I''''ve gained 10 pounds.

Posted by adlerman2 at 06:36 PM : Oct 04, 2008

Let''s try it again fatboy.

Look up metabolic syndrome and you will find a "chicken or egg" which came first phenomenon with respect to central obesity and insulin resistance.

Second in your so-called diabetes management you failed to mention your caloric intake.

Third you did not mention medication.

So as before, when you start blathering about a subject, be sure you''ve done your research.

And if you can''t take it, don''t dish it out.

[chiefagc]

either feather62 or wi7bzh made a comment about stomachs on those with type 2 diabetes- whichever one made the comment is totally ignorant - type 2 diabetes is an inability of the body to properly handle insulin- this results in an accumulation of fat around the middle. I''ve gome to the gym 5-6 days a week since being diagnosed- I use a number of weight machines and do 2-3.5 miles on a tradmill- I''ve done this for 2.5 years- I''ve gained 10 pounds.

[feather62]

It amazes me that finally when "everyone in the nation" has and is getting Scr**ed, all they do is attack the massively neglected and abused mental health subject and the people that suffer from it. the lawmakers that rarely stand in favor of being a voice for those that are afflected with mental disabilities directly, or indirectly! by the way there "ISN''T" a choice, if/when someone is afflicted with a mental disability! The mental health issues shouldn''t be used and sacrficed to distract the people of this nation, and whats going on now, and what is getting ready to happen!

[wl7bzh]

"Since you don''''''''t seem to think chemical imbalances are real, perhaps we should stop treating diabetes? "


Posted by curious_mind at 12:25 AM : Oct 03, 2008

Stop treating diabetes? You may want to take a look at the stomachs on most type 2 diabetics, which by the way make up about 90% of diabetics.

I wonder what would happen if type 2 diabetics got off the couch walked a minimum of 30 minutes 7 days a week and lost 10% of their body weight?

[susanhelit]

This should have been separate - but - mental illness is real, is often a chemical imbalance that can be treated, and we would be wise to treat it - rather than wait for this person to be driven by their disease into all manner of anti-social behaviors - from something as minor as getting too imbalanced to keep a job and we get to support them the rest of their lives, to theft, murder, rape, pedophilia, etc. Some, even many, of our criminals are people we could have reclaimed, with treatment. It''s worth some money to do that. We''ll save money, and lives, in the long run. And yes - those chemical imbalances are entirely real, and no, there are not charities and state services that come anywhere near adequate help.

[greeneyes222]

This is just another ploy to try to make us go along with the bailout.

The mentally ill deserve their own bill.

Instead we have corrupt politicians led by Harry Reid, who will no doubt say those of us against the bailout are against the mentally ill. Bull on that.

This is one of the biggest cons in history.

[thevicar1]

I think if congress passed a law about spitting on the sidewalk, it would probably include money for retarded persons too.
This PORK and EARMARK stuff is
SO out of control!!!

[hologram5]

This goes to show how much earmarking actually goes on in these bloody things. This bailout has NOTHING to do with health insurance but yet contains verbiage to that effect. What a crock! Bailout should be DENIED! Pump the money into the economy and create better health insurance for all instead of pulling a shady earmark.

[carlylaine]

''The least of these'' doesn''t include my money in order for all of us to feel equal. That''s pure bull.