Mental health has been hidden behind a curtain of stigma and discrimination for a long time. Suffering, burden, and magnitude in terms of disability and costs to individuals, families, and societies are overwhelming. The world has become more aware of the enormous burden and potential that exists to make progress in mental health. We really need to invest substantially more in mental health and we must do so now. In the United States, government health insurance plans exist for eligible patients with these disorders, although they sometimes do not cover everything patients need.
For mental health disorders, there is a huge emotional and financial burden for individuals, families, and society. The economic impacts
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Even in countries where insurance plans exist, they often do not cover mental and behavioral disorders to the same degree as other illnesses. This creates enormous difficulties for both patients and their families. The costs are expressed in international dollars ($) that take into account purchasing power in different countries. More severe psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia require higher inputs than the relative costs, especially as affected individuals require hospitalization or care in out-of-hospital residences. Unlike the cost to effectively treat an episode of depression is estimated at 100-150 dollars.
Insurance covering part of the treatment of patients with mental disorders:
Mental Health Services (Inpatient) Hospital insurance such as (Medicare Part A) covers the mental health services you receive at a hospital that requires you to stay in the hospital. Both in a general hospital and in a psychiatric hospital that cares exclusively for people with mental health conditions. You only pay up to 190 days for psychiatric inpatient services throughout your life.
What Medicare Covers:
- Deductible of $ 1,316 per benefit period
- Days 1-60: Coinsurance of $ 0 for each benefit period
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- 20% of the amount approved by Medicare for doctor visits or other health care provider to diagnose or treat your medical condition. Part B deductible applies.
- If you receive your services at an outpatient clinic or outpatient department of a hospital, you may have to pay a hospital copayment or coinsurance. Your doctor or other health care provider may recommend that you get services more often than Medicare covers. If this happens, you may have to pay some or all of the expenses.1 There are institutions such as the NAMI Family-to-Family in San Diego, which includes a free twelve-week course for family caregivers of people with mental illness. Materials are free for classroom participants and their families. The curriculum focuses on schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, clinical depression, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and borderline personality disorder, with a new resource on post-traumatic stress disorder. The course discusses treatment for these diseases and teaches the knowledge and skills family members need to cope with the challenges of living with a family member with a mental
Mental Health Funding Mental health is a subject a lot of people prefer not to talk about, which is a main reason that it is so underfunded. The severe underfunding affects not only the people suffering from mental illness, but also the government, the economy, and society as a whole. It is in the government's best interest to put more funding into mental health due to the health consequences on patients, including weight issues, drastic effects on bodily functions, and difficulties in pregnancy. As well as this
Mental healthcare has a long and murky past in the United States. In the early 1900s, patients could live in institutions for many years. The treatments and conditions were, at times, inhumane. Legislation in the 1980s and 1990s created programs to protect this vulnerable population from abuse and discrimination. In the last 20 years, mental health advocacy groups and legislators have made gains in bringing attention to the disparity between physical and mental health programs. However, diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses continues to be less than optimal. Mental health disparities continue to exist in all areas of the world.
One is automatically enrolled to Part A plan when one apply to Medicare. Part A does not cover doctor’s fees, however, it covers nursing care and hospital stays. It also covers part of home health services, nursing care after hospital stays and well as hospice care. There are no monthly premiums for Part A due to all the payroll taxes paid while one was employed. However, there is a yearly deductible before Medicare covers any hospitalization costs. Part A pays around 80 percent of Medicare-approved inpatient costs for the first 60 days the enrollee is hospitalized. If enrollee stays longer in hospital, enrollee will have to pay a larger
Private insurance, however, would be reimbursed. Hospitals knowingly discharged patients without adequate psychiatric care, and without being admitted into a program or residential treatment facility, like a “step down” phase to integrate patients into the community. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.28.3.676 Health Aff May/June 2009 vol. 28 no. 3 676-684 University of Massachusetts Medical School, in Worcester William Fisher (Bill.Fisher@Umassmed.edu) William H. Fisher, Jeffrey L. Geller and John A. Pandiani
Insurance companies monitor the average fees for doctors, medical services, and general healthcare related services in each area. When your claim comes in, they use your local data to determine if the fees are usual customary or reasonable. If they determine your services exceed the normal rates for the area, they might pass the additional cost to you. It’s a good practice for you to read your policy to determine when you might incur additional fees, ask your provider questions, and ask your doctor’s office for a list of fees.
There are four components to the Medicare program, part A, B, C and D. Part A of Medicare covers in patient hospital services; patients have a financial responsibility to cover a deductible that is equivalent to 1 day of hospitalization, thereafter cost is covered at 100 percent for a maximum of 60 days. This also includes nursing facilities, home and hospice care. Part B covers outpatient surgery and physician office visits. This is an elective component of Medicare in that there is a premium associated with this plan that is paid for directly through social security payments. Part C is know as Medicare Advantage and is a supplemental policy that is purchased directly from employers; one may be denied for health reasons depending one when the plan is acquired. Part D is prescription drug coverage that is eligible to all individuals that qualify for Medicare. Beneficiaries of the Medicare choose which prescription plan they want and pay a corresponding monthly premium.
In today’s society, the stigma around mental health has caused many people to fear seeking medical treatment for problems they are dealing with. With an abundance of hateful outlooks and stereotypical labels such as: crazy, psycho, and dangerous, it is clear that people with a mental illness have a genuine reason to avoid pursuing medical treatments. Along with mental health stigma, psychiatric facilities that patients with a mental health issue attend in order to receive treatment obtain an excessive amount of unfavorable stereotypes.
Around the nation, many parents are plagued with the thought of how they can afford to provide proper care to their children with mental illness. Millions of individuals suffer daily from the effects of various forms of mental illness. Such forms vary from moderate to extremely severe forms that require expensive treatment. Some individuals are fortunate to beat illnesses such as depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder, while others suffer from permanent illnesses that are extremely difficult to maintain and treat. As healthcare is very costly, many rely on financial assistance through medicaid. As congress moves to repeal the Affordable Care Act, parents continue to struggle with the realization that they may no longer be able to support
In an economic lens, mentally ill patients also experience discrimination due to the stigma and stereotypes surrounding their disorder. Although mental illness is similar to other diseases/disorders such as cardiac disease, in the sense that they are malfunctions in a part of the organ, mental disorders are not treated like it. Until the passage of Mental Health Parity And Addiction Equity Act in 2008, an act that made mental health and substance abuse treatment easily accessible, there was health care discrimination where they refused to pay for therapy sessions or other forms of treatment for people with mental disorders. But, even with the passage of the act, there is still discrimination in accessing. For example, Ali Carlin a person
Are you ever afraid that you won't be able to pay for the Medicine? What are your thoughts on the Insurance industry with regard to Mental Health Care?
Funding for mental health care comes from various sources. States typically derive the larger amount of their funds from Medicaid and state general funds that are administered by state mental health authorities. In 2007, 46% of funding was through Medicaid, and 40% of funding was through state general funds (Honberg et al. 2). Overall, states consistently assemble their budget from state general funds, federal Medicaid, federal block grants, and private grants (Honberg et al. 3).
One in six Americans and mostly all of the population 65 years and older, are covered by Medicare. In 2012, Medicare provided for 50.7 million people, 42.1 million aged and 8.5 million disabled, with a total cost of $574 billion. This is about 21% of national health spending and 3.6% of Gross Domestic Product (Davis, 2013). Medicare, being a social insurance program, is required to pay for covered services provided to enrollees so long as the specific criteria is met. On av...
Advocates for people with mental illnesses have urged the government
Mental disorders are rapidly becoming more common with each new generation born in the world. Currently, nearly one in two people suffer from some form of depression, anxiety, or other mental health problem at some point in their lives (Editor). With so many people suffering from their mental illnesses, steps have been taken in order to get help needed for these people but progress has been slow. In the medical world, hospitals are treating those with physical problems with more care than those with mental problems. Prescription drugs can only do so much helping the mentally ill go through their daily lives and more should be done to help those who need more than medicine to cope with their illness. Mental health should be considered just as important as physical health because of how advanced physical healing is, how the public reacts to those with mental illness, and due to the consequences that could happen if the illness is not correctly helped.
Direct costs such as medications and psychologist/therapist visits will add up to a pretty penny. Especially if you do not have insurance that will help cover your medical expenses. This financial trouble can cause more stress and more mental illness on someone. The indirect cost affects more of the productivity of work because of the mental illness. A lot of people are affected by their work effort when they have a certain mental illness; they could lose interest in work and stop showing up or caring about the