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Hearings open in
Michigan Legislature on Mental Health Parity
Gongwer News Service, May 14, 2003
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https://www.bridges4kids.org.
The first of three public hearings on requiring health insurance
companies to provide parity for mental health coverage opened
before the Senate Health Policy Committee with witnesses trying
to "put a face" to the issue.
In sometimes emotional testimony, witnesses described the
struggles they had getting insurance coverage for treatment of
depression and bipolar disorder, while they had no difficulty
getting coverage for physical conditions.
And the director of the medical and disease program at the
University of Michigan said those states that have established
parity for mental health treatment have not seen their overall
health insurance costs increase just from parity. Providing
proper treatment for diseases such as depression can help boost
employee productivity since a major cause of workplace
absenteeism is depression, said Thomas Carli.
So far 35 states have adopted some form of mental health parity
in health insurance laws. The issue has been a major concern for
a number of organizations, including some business groups, for
fear that mandating such coverage would drive up the cost of
health insurance and force more companies to drop coverage.
However, all the members of the Senate panel indicated they
could support SB 4 and SB 5, leading the chair, Sen. Bev
Hammerstrom (R-Temperance) to joke that perhaps the committee
should vote out the bills instead of conducting the hearing.
Mr. Carli said that until the 1980s, and the rapid increase of
health insurance costs, there was largely parity between
coverage for mental and physical health ailments. But as efforts
were made to control cost increases, most insurance plans put on
stricter limits on mental health coverage.
This came as medicine began making giant breakthroughs in
diagnoses and treatment of mental disease, he said. "While we
have seen an erosion of benefits, we have seen an explosion in
knowledge," he said.
While most families will have to deal with incidents of mental
health treatment, he said, there is still a stigma associated
with mental health. That partly helps explain why more women
attempt suicide, but more men actually commit suicide, he said,
because men are less likely to seek treatment.
Deana Strudwick of White Pigeon, a social worker, said that she
spent several months in New York City following the September
11, 2001, terrorist attacks counseling law enforcement workers
who were overwhelmed and when she returned she felt she needed
counseling herself, but her insurance did not provide enough
coverage. Her need for counseling increased following the death
of her father and a miscarriage, but her insurance does not
provide enough coverage even though it covered all the costs
associated with her miscarriage.
And Kathryn Lynnes of Grand Rapids, who ran for Congress as a
Democrat in the 2002 election, said insurance has failed to
cover her hospitalizations despite the fact that she has been
struggling for more than 20 years with being bipolar.
Her medications now would cost $800 a month, she said, except
that her psychiatrist helps her by providing her with samples.
"When you are that depressed you don't want to be faced with the
option of death, bankruptcy and humiliation because I can tell
you how that will turn out," she said.
Michigan Senate OKs School Flexibility Bill
Gongwer News Service, May 14, 2003
For more articles
like this visit
https://www.bridges4kids.org.
Michigan school districts would have greater flexibility in
spending at-risk money under legislation the Senate passed 37-0
Wednesday.
SB 367 is one of several bills designed to help school districts
save money by giving them greater autonomy in making spending
decisions. Some of the more controversial measures in the
package include provisions allowing schools to stop providing
professional development for teachers and to hold fewer than 180
days of school so long as they hold the same number of
instructional hours.
To be able to exercise greater flexibility in using at-risk
monies, however, a school would first have to show that all
children in all grades were meeting improvement standards set
under the federal No Child Left Behind Act before the state
would clear an application to employ the money for purposes
other than specifically helping poor children.
Both public and charter schools could submit applications to
allow for greater flexibility in using the funds.
The measure would add to those funds, monies intended to reduce
class sizes.
According to Senate Republicans the state now receives about
$314.2 million in at-risk funds and another $26.2 million in
class reduction funds.
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