On a 95-0 vote, the House passed SB 102 specifying mental health services that must be covered under the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
Coverage for mental illness under the program must include the following:
(1) Inpatient mental health services and substance abuse services provided in an institution that:
(A) treats mental disease; and
(B) has more than sixteen (16) beds;
unless coverage is prohibited by federal law.
(2) Psychiatric residential treatment services.
(3) Community mental health rehabilitation services.
(4) Outpatient mental health services and substance abuse services, with no greater limitations on the number of units per rolling year than are required under the Medicaid program.
I know I’m wrong about this, but I was basically raised in such a way that mental illness never seems as intuitively real to me as physical illnesses. I suppose it’s because I have a hard time distinguishing between those mental activities a person ought to be able to fight through with some self-discipline, and those things that are beyond any reasonable level of self-control.
Chris says
Mental health services could go along way to fixing many problems, especially in the cities.
When I worked EMS in downtown Indy, more than half of the calls I took were for some sort of mental illness. Many of the homeless in downtown Indy are simply mentally ill. When they are having good days or have received some free medicine we never saw them or they stopped by just to chat. Most of them are friendly enough and often sought me out when I was on shift because I was one of the only crew members who didn’t yell at them for dialing 911 again.
They aren’t capable of digging themselves out of the whole they are in. However, I believe many of them could live much better lives off the streets, if they had access mental health services.
Doug says
That’s a good point. A lot of mentally ill folks are taking up space in our jails because they are the mental health facility of last resort.
On the other hand, I come across a lot of folks in my collection practice who are applying for disability on the basis of mental problems. I just can’t shake the feeling that some of these folks, all things being equal, would prefer not to have to go to work every day.
Parker says
It’s a difficult question – I think many folks are more skeptical of mental illness than they are of physical illness because there is often no tangible, objective evidence you can point to.
That means that folks with real problems can have trouble being taken seriously – and anyone who fakes it makes it that much tougher for them.
Jason B. says
You are right to say you are wrong. Mental health problems can be, and are, very much an illness. Dismissing mental health problems as something that can be overcome with some willpower is dangerous and sadly too common a thought in our society.
I struggled with anxiety and depression for a long time, probably to some degree for my whole life. Even when I finally acknowledged the problem at around age 20 I thought I could fix it with “willpower” for another 7 years, acutely aware that so many people view admitting you have a problem with depression as some sort of weakness or failing to just “get over it” with some will. I flirted dangerously close to suicide those years.
It took me acknowleding the problem, getting therapy and seeing that the problem was not with me but with my brain chemistry (and over a year of medication to go along with the therapy) to get it under control.
If my insurance had not covered outpatient mental health services I probably would not have sought help and very well could have killed myself by now.I do not say that lightly or to exaggurate. I can’t imagine the struggle for those not as lucky as I to have insurance. I think some level of outpatient help should be covered as well (for the obvious described reason)
I don’t hesitate to talk about this because the problem of seeing mental health issues as a weakness Or personal failing is even more prevalent among men in our macho, boys-don’t-cry culture. Too many people, and men specifically, let depression go untreated (whether therapy, medication or both) – with terrible consequences.
barbara witt says
Many people who have a mental illness refuse treatment because they truly believe that they are not ill. There is a medical term for this. Some of these sufferers are dangerous to themselves and to others. What usually happens when they become threatening is either their family(which hasn’t a clue in how to handle this) turns them out on the street.or if they are fortunate, they are admitted to a hospital where the are treated. But as soon as they are stable, they are released. Nearly always they discontinue their meds, and within a few days are once again very ill. The family becomes desperate since there seems to be no good answer. When the Supreme Court said you cannot hold anyone against his will more than 48 hours without a charge they obviously hadn’t put themselves in the family’s position. Why do you think Sean Wright, who murdered his family, was living in the basement? Surely if they had another option he wouldn’t have been there. Now ther taxpayers will house and feed him for the rest of his life. And three more lives have been snuffed out because lawmakers will not address this problem. Not only would countless lives be saved, but millions of dollars in our prison system would be saved also. And the tragedy is that Sean will be treated so he is sane, and can confront the horrible deed he has done too late!
Pila says
Mental illness is real. I think people are skeptical of mental illness because most people (including a whole lot of college graduates) don’t understand anything that isn’t simple, tangible, and easily explained. I applaud you, Jason, for being so frank about your struggles. I’ve dealt with mentally ill people in the course of my career, and there is no way that they could just will themselves to behave differently.