Finally, Mental Health Parity Likely!!

I have struggled with a dual diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder and Alcoholism. Getting insurance coverage for these illnesses has been a nightmare. Ordinarily, a health insurance policy will pay for only 50% of psychiatric or counseling visits, meaning that if one visit costs $150, the individual is stuck with $75 per visit. What if the condition requires one visit per week? That's $300 a month out of pocket, not to mention the high cost of psychiatric medications. That's a big blow to my budget, I can tell you.

If and when the infamous Wall Street Bailout bill becomes law, I will be excited for the mental health parity earmarks. This will help individuals with mental illnesses and substance abuse problems so much! Today it is almost impossible to get decent inpatient treatment, since insurance policies limit payments much more than physical inpatient reimbursements.

“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.” Hmm, I wonder how this would impact Medicare reimbursements?

Thanks, legislators!