Insuring Mind and Body

After over a decade of debate, the House passed a bill on mental health parity last month requiring health insurance companies to provide full, and seemingly unrestricted, coverage for mental health issues. Disorders ranging from stuttering to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) would be covered by the House bill. Insurance companies would have to "offer mental health benefits to cover treatment for the hundreds of diagnoses included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders."

In the true spirit of bipartisan cooperation, Representative Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), chief sponsor of the House bill, and Representative Jim Ramstead (R-MN), a main Republican sponsor, not only supported the new measure, but also offered their own personal narratives as fully-insured members of Congress who have struggled to cope with mental illnesses. "I am fortunately getting the best care this country has to offer because I am a member of Congress," said Rep. Kennedy, who has suffered from depression and drug dependence. Rep. Ramstead, a recovering alcoholic, also added, "I am living proof that treatment works."

Proof-schmoof. Despite the bipartisan success in the House, however, the White House refuses to support the mental health parity bill, insisting that the bill "would effectively mandate coverage of a broad range of diseases” and will increase health insurance premiums. But really President Bush, who will notice the extra cash with our surmounting war deficit?

Honestly, though, is it possible to draw a line for mental illness? How does a patient know if he/she has been adequately diagnosed? Doctors make mistakes all the time; that's why medical malpractice insurance is skyrocketing. Will the stigma surrounding mental illness recede if this House bill becomes a law?

And who will ultimately profit if this bill becomes law: the patients or the health insurance companies? Some doctors over-diagnose to make more money. Will patients begin to think they're crazy? Perhaps. But at least the patient won't have to pay for being crazy.