Victims of mental illness should not also be victims of discrimination by insurance companies who now provide considerably less coverage for mental illness than they do for physical ailments.
The U.S. Senate has taken a step toward more fairness for the mentally ill by approving a measure to require identical aggregate and annual payment limits for mental and physical illnesses. The House of Representatives should also approve the bill, but it should be regarded as only a first step.The amendment does not address other discriminatory limits imposed on mental health services, such as higher co-payments and limits on outpatient visits or hospitals stays. These rules should also be the same for mental and physical illnesses.
The disparity seems a throwback to archaic attitudes of pre-modern times when mental illness was regarded as shameful and its victims somehow at fault. Those who suffer from any of the many mental illnesses deserve as much sympathy and professional help as victims of cancer or heart disease.
Mental ailments are just as debilitating as any physical disease and can be life-threatening. The costs of medical care and medication can be overwhelming. Many among Utah's homeless population suffer from some type of mental illness. Without consistent treatment, they often become society's throwaways.
In one example used during Senate debate, health insurance payments were cut off after they totaled $25,000 for schizophrenia treatment, but the same insurer would pay up to $1 million if the patient had cancer.
Though insurance premiums will undoubtedly rise to cover the expanded coverage, the impact is not likely to be substantial and would be mitigated by language in the amendment allowing policyholders to be exempt from the coverage if their premiums go up by more than 1 percent as a result of the legislation.