Mental Parity in the USA

Mental Healthy Parity in the USA
The issue of mental health parity is a conflicting one for many patients and their insurance companies. The issue creates a social inequality between those with mental illness and those without. By setting a standard of medical treatment for one or the other, it has many beginning to think that both the government and insurance companies are discriminating against those with mental illness. 

While many believe that those with mental disorders should be treated on the same level of treatment as those with physical disorders, not much as resulted of this argument. The reason this debate exists is because of the fact that our government believes that mental disorders are in some cases, less real and more the fault of the victim, then physical disorders are. When that notion is completely false, this legacy lives on. 

According to an University of Michigan presentation, social inequality harms one’s health. Socioeconomic differentials are arguably the most important public health problem facing our nation, reported Dr. James S. House, the featured speaker at a recent NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research seminar. Substantial evidence shows that behavior, psycho social, and environmental factors are major factors within one’s health. The United States spends the most money on medical care than any other nation in the world; however that is only with physical illnesses, nothing else. 

Nearly 4 years ago, President Bush called to congressional leaders to pass legislation to provide full mental health parity. However, years later with nearly two-thirds of Senators and a strong majority within the House that support the idea, the process has been continuously stalled. 

A 2004 national survey concluded that 78 percent of American believe it is unfair for health insurance policies to limit mental health benefits. America is a democracy, is it not? This is the time for change; this is a chance to end this social inequality for good.