Patient Advocacy is a Right, Not a Privilege

Some seriously ill patients have found themselves unable to obtain the treatment recommended by their physician, because of a dispute about insurance coverage. Such disagreements usually involve complex contractual issues, which are typically difficult to resolve. A patient, who is already experiencing the stress and anxiety that always accompany serious illness, should not be subjected to the additional stress of doing battle over the terms of his or her insurance coverage.  Americans without health insurance, or little insurance, can really be making decisions on whether to pay the car payment or that month's supply of medication. With skyrocketing prescription medication prices, most average low to middle class Americans have trouble paying for the very pills they need to stay healthy. No one should have to make that decision.

 illness.  His Mental Hygiene Movement was the forerunner of some of the most influential mental health advocacy groups that exist today, including the National Mental Health Association and the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill.

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. A 2004 national survey concluded that 78 percent of Americans believe it is unfair for health insurance policies to limit mental health benefits.