Big News -- Mental Health Parity is now law

[Peter Staley]

It took them many years to pass this, but it's finally law:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/06/washington/06mental.html

[Miss Philicia]

LOOOOOOOOONG time coming

[Joe K]

This is a milestone, but I have read that the copay under Medicare, will take six years until parity with medical copays.  That is a very long wait for those who are suffering from mental illness now.  Between the Iraq war and the recent bailouts, we have pissed away almost two trillion dollars that could have been used to offset the Medicare copays, without waiting another six years.

When will we ever learn?

[Andy Velez]

The longstanding prejudice on the part of insurance companies and others against appreciating the value of mental health care is reflective of a severe societal lack.

For me it is connected with a similar attitude that gives a higher value to math and sciences over language and the arts in education. It is also an attitude which fosters another destructive cliche, the one that says to be a "real" man you need to mask or ignore your feelings.   

A physical wound is treated as "real." Emotional wounds are unrecognized or dismissed as "just feelings." That lack of respect for emotional health needs is going to hit us harder in the coming months and years as hundreds of thousands serving in Iraq return to civilian life in the US, and have to deal with the after effects of their wartime service.

The prejudices against recognizing and respectfully addressing emotional needs are deeply ingrained in our society. We are also victims of the "quick fix" mentaility. In quickfix country, pharmacology which will change feelings without necessarily addressing root causes of problems is valued over longer and ultimately potentially more core affective treatment. Shorterrm that route seems "cost efficient."

Taking time to address those problems in treatment is ultimately better for our society because the benefits are longlasting. 

Just sayin'....