People with mental disorders have medical bills not common to the majority of the population. These people have specialist appointments in addition to the regular general practitioner appointments. Medicine for the treatment and management of mental disorders can be expensive. Unfortunately, many health insurance plans either do not cover mental health related costs, deny coverage to people with mental disorders or have premiums that many find cost prohibitive.
Uninsured Population
According to a study published in the April 2000 edition of "Health Services Research," 38.6 percent of people with mental disorders are uninsured. This rate is compared to 11.4 percent of the people with no mental disorder. Having no health insurance coverage causes a delay in medical treatment.
What People with Mental Disorders Can Do
The condition of some people with mental disorders can become debilitating either by the disorder itself or through an untreated medical condition. Because people without health insurance delay treatment for as much as 10 years, they may acquire a disability more readily than people with insurance. If the disability reaches levels of qualification, some will enroll in government run health care programs such as Medicare and state Medicaid. These programs do pay for some mental health needs not covered by traditional insurance. People who do not have prescription coverage can ask the doctor for samples of the medication. Additionally, some pharmaceutical companies have programs to help people who cannot afford their medications.
New Rules for Health Insurance
In January 2010, the administration set new rules that promised to advance insurance for those with mental disorders through the workplace. Under the rules, health insurance companies offering group insurance through employers must provide the same coverage level for mental health treatment as the coverage provided for physical ailments. Insurers cannot set elevated deductibles and co-pays or greater limits on mental illness treatment. Insurers can still review procedures to determine "medical necessity" and still require prior approval of some services.
Exclusions to Health Insurance Rules
The new rules only apply to companies with more than 49 employees. There are no rules that pertain to the individually purchased medical insurance. Individuals and employees of smaller companies will see no change to their policy coverage.
Outlook
A report by Rand Health suggests the outlook for people with mental disorders receiving adequate health care insurance is grim. Public policy trends have included a few measures to assist people with receiving some form of insurance, but the rate of uninsured has not decreased. This may be due to the increased insurance costs the new policies created. The costs issue must be addressed to reduce the disparity in health care services for people with mental disorders.
References
- Health Services Research: Utilization of Specialty Mental Health Care among Persons with Severe Mental Illness: The Roles of Demographics, Need, Insurance, and Risk
- Health Services Research: Delays in Treatment for Mental Disorder and Health Insurance
- Rand Health: Are People with Mental Illness Getting Help They Need?
