Mentally Ill Benefit From Bailout Bill

(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.

[A Crazy One]

Obviously, I'm a little late with my comments. I was searchig for a reason that those of us with mental illnesses are discriminated against within the health insurance companies.

I don't care if you believe me or not, but I have suffered from a terrible mental illness for most of my life...it would make some of you very happy to know that my most common sypmtom is the need to be dead. Just dead. I tried starving myself to death as a child, and continued this behavior well into my late 30's. I had a grand mal siezure then, caused by malnutrition. Several months later my appendex burst and during this surgery, the doctors did exploratory surgery. They could see that my organs had started to consume themselves, my heart to a small degree, my liver and kidneys to a greater degree. Needless to say, when I woke up I was told I had six months to live if I didn't make some major changes immediately.
The physically pain, most of you don't realize comes right along with most mental illnesses, is at times, so unbearable, worse than anything I have ever felt and I have had four natural childbirths. Think about that for a minute, all of you who seem to believe that this is just crap. The pain is not only unbearable but neverending. All I ever want to do is get away from the pain, in any way possible, which is usually a suicide attempt. I have failed to date because I refuse to commit this act in a way that anyone, my husband, parents and especially my children will ever know it was suicide. I will not leave them with the guilt of that, I am only cruel to myself, I would never hurt them.
There will always be doubters, as most of you are, but I know this is real. The pain is real, the hurt is real, the loss is real, mostly just the hopelessness you are left with is the most real. I can never escape it. Sometimes I have been on good medication and have seen very good therapists and doctors, but half of them are crazier than I am! And that's the truth. Insurance will not cover most costs involved with this tragic illness. I just wanted to see why it was legal to discriminate the way they do. If I were a drug abuser, I could go away for 30 days of treatment, and receive regular visits with a therapist; because I am not, I get very little if anything as far as benefits go. I pay over $23,000 a year for health insurance, it just doesn't seem right that I can receive little or no treatment. Could any other agency or person get away with such blatent discrimination if it was based upon my race, religion, sexual preference etc? I don't think so.
Those of you who are blessed not to have a family member or friend who suffers from one of the many mental illnesses, should count your blessings and then take off your blinders. It is because of people like you that people like me are supposed to feel and BE ashamed of our illness. I am not ashamed. I did not ask for this. I do not want it. I have done everything in my power to help myself get better and I do get better for a little while, and gradually it will sneak up on you again and leave you at the bottom of the deepest well or in a room filling up with water and you are at the top, taking your last breath. That's the pain, fear and torture I go through. How is your day.
Just an aside...I worked for almost 35 years for non-profit organizations; helping sexually abuse kids and their families with court systems and then building housing for the elderly AND those with mental disabilities. I have paid my dues, worked my butt off and helped many many people, which gives me great pride and satisfaction. It, does not, however, take away any of my pain. The pain of others has always been a good distraction for me.
So re-think it if you are one of the ones who think this is a phony illness or that only people on the streets have it, you are so wrong. It's just that people like YOU have tried so very hard by making fun of us, or telling us to just "pull ourselves up by our bootstraps" have aided in making us feel like it really is our fault. Again, it is NOT; so back off, use some common sense and see if you can't remember just alittle bit about that whole "golden rule" business. It sure would let some of us stop bottleing all of this crap up; it might let us believe we could trust YOU, our sister, brother, mother, father, friend, teacher, enough to tell you what was going on with us. THE CRAZIES! Remember, when you point a finger at us, there are three pointing back at YOU.

[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.