Corinne Ramey

Rehab for Kennedy and for the Rest of Us, Too

Blog Post About DMI's TheMiddleClass.org

In May of 2006, Rhode Island Representative Patrick Kennedy crashed his green '97 Ford Mustang convertible into a security barrier near the Capitol building. The Congressmember, who had "red, watery eyes, slurred speech and unsteady balance" according to the police report, told the police officer that he was "headed to the Capitol to make a vote," despite the fact that it was three in the morning.

Unlike some legislators, who would have swept the matter under the metaphorical rug and tried to avoid any ensuing scandal, Kennedy held a press conference announcing his addiction to prescription pain medication. The Congressman said he planned to check himself in for rehab at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. "I know the seriousness of this illness and I am certainly determined, having come so close so many times, to not let this disease take its toll on me ever again," said Kennedy.

But the best part of Kennedy's story, perhaps, it's that it's not just a personal one. Kennedy didn't only check himself in for rehab, he made it a lot easier for millions of Americans to do the same. When asked about why he waited a full day after the accident to disclose his addiction, Kennedy said, "Like other Americans, there is a great stigma attached to addiction, and I'm not immune to it either, even though I am a champion for mental-health parity. I'm fighting the stigma myself." He said, "I am also feeling that shame and sense of stigma in my life. That's why I empathize with millions of Americans who feel that sense of shame at calling themselves addicts and alcoholics."

This past Wednesday, the House passed Rep. Kennedy's mental health parity legislation, the The Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act, named after Paul Wellstone, a Minnesota Senator who championed mental health legislation and died in a plane crash in 2002. The Act mandates that health insurers provide treatment for mental illness and substance related addiction that is comparable to what they provide for physical illnesses. In other words, if an insurer doesn't put limits on treatment for illnesses like cancer or diabetes they can't put limits on visits to a psychologist days in a rehabilitation center. The Act also applies to out-of-network benefits; if insurers offer out-of-network benefits for medical procedures, they must do the same for mental health and addiction treatment.

And the statistics say that mental illness, just like physical illness, is certainly treatable. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, depression has an 80% treatment rate and 90% of people who commit suicide have a diagnosable mental disorder.

According to TheMiddleClass.org, the bill could make a difference in the lives of millions of Americans.

While the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program has recognized the importance of providing equal coverage for mental health disorders and medical and surgical procedures since 1999, millions of middle-class Americans who are insured by other plans still struggle to afford mental health care services. Although approximately 26.2% of Americans older than 18 suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder and although mental disorders are the leading cause of disability in the United States for individuals ages 15-44, the General Accounting Office found that 87% of health care plans impose more severe restrictions on mental health benefits than they do on medical and surgical benefits....The legislation not only does much to remedy the discriminatory practices of insurers, but will increase access to mental health care services for middle-class Americans already struggling with high health care costs. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that health insurance premiums will increase by only .4%. The Parity Act helps to dispel the misguided notion that mental health care is less important than medical and surgical services.

The bill isn't law yet; although the Senate passed a similar version back in September, the two versions still have to be reconciled before the bill faces the presidential approval process. And despite the fact that Bush supported mental health parity in 2002, saying that “health plans should not be allowed to apply unfair treatment limitations or financial requirements on mental health benefits," he has opposed this bill, saying it would "effectively mandate coverage of a broad range of diseases.”

Even if the Act were signed into law, those wily insurance companies would likely try to avoid plans that provide comprehensive mental health benefits, just as they did after the passage of the Mental Health Parity Act in 1996. However, at least for now, the Paul Wellstone Act is a step in the right direction.

Corinne Ramey: Author Bio | Other Posts
Posted at 7:11 AM, Mar 10, 2008 in Health Care | TheMiddleClass.org
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