So, whatever side of the healthcare debate you fall on, there is one basic truth. When healthcare and insurance aren't available to people...there are consequences. These consequences result in physical illness and sometimes even death. That is really kind of obvious. For me, the interesting part of this is what kinds of consequences we have when we do have access to insurance and it doesn't work for us. My area of interest being mental illness, I am always on the lookout for stories about people not being able to get help with mental illness. Imagine my interest when I read this article: http://bit.ly/17jEAVx
The article is about Kaiser Health Foundation. And how they have been sued by consumers because they didn't provide adequate care for their members regarding mental health issues. Since I have believed for a long time that insurance frequently provides inadequately for the mentally ill, this doesn't really surprise me. What does surprise me is that people are actually suing them for it.
Mental health care is expensive. And it isn't easy to get. Sometimes, this is true even when you have insurance. For the mentally ill, that can be a death sentence. If someone is struggling with depression, not dealing with it in a timely manner can lead to death. Suicide happens. So, it is clear that your insurance really does need to be responsive. Information is important. Access to the right resources is also important. What Kaiser is being accused of is actively denying services to people. I find that extraordinary. So, what they are being accused of is actively preventing people from getting needed health care.
Before the Affordable Care Act was even considered, insurance was an issue for people. If you had a preexisting condition, you were denied. If you had a job loss, you lost your insurance. Unless you had enough money to pay the exorbitant costs of continuing your insurance. And, of course, many people lost the ability to use insurance after they became ill enough to exhaust benefits. Now, we are hearing that at least one insurer, Kaiser Health Foundation, may have actively denied people potentially life-saving care for mental health issues.
People have been so busy condemning what has been enacted through the Affordable Care Act, they are ignoring the problems that the act was created to deal with. What I am going to ask you is this: What do you think should be done to deal with the issues identified as problems within our health care system as it stood previously? What can we do to deal with the inequities within the system? Any ideas? Let's talk solutions....not snipe at each other from the sidelines.
The article is about Kaiser Health Foundation. And how they have been sued by consumers because they didn't provide adequate care for their members regarding mental health issues. Since I have believed for a long time that insurance frequently provides inadequately for the mentally ill, this doesn't really surprise me. What does surprise me is that people are actually suing them for it.
Mental health care is expensive. And it isn't easy to get. Sometimes, this is true even when you have insurance. For the mentally ill, that can be a death sentence. If someone is struggling with depression, not dealing with it in a timely manner can lead to death. Suicide happens. So, it is clear that your insurance really does need to be responsive. Information is important. Access to the right resources is also important. What Kaiser is being accused of is actively denying services to people. I find that extraordinary. So, what they are being accused of is actively preventing people from getting needed health care.
Before the Affordable Care Act was even considered, insurance was an issue for people. If you had a preexisting condition, you were denied. If you had a job loss, you lost your insurance. Unless you had enough money to pay the exorbitant costs of continuing your insurance. And, of course, many people lost the ability to use insurance after they became ill enough to exhaust benefits. Now, we are hearing that at least one insurer, Kaiser Health Foundation, may have actively denied people potentially life-saving care for mental health issues.
People have been so busy condemning what has been enacted through the Affordable Care Act, they are ignoring the problems that the act was created to deal with. What I am going to ask you is this: What do you think should be done to deal with the issues identified as problems within our health care system as it stood previously? What can we do to deal with the inequities within the system? Any ideas? Let's talk solutions....not snipe at each other from the sidelines.
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