Apropos of Mental Health

An op-ed in today's WaPo argues for mental-parity legislation:

A recently released medical study confirms that poor mental health and stress can cause us to age more quickly and get sick faster -- that there are actually molecular changes in the body when we are stressed. This probably isn't surprising to most people. Mental health professionals, through their experiences with patients, have long known that the mind plays a major role in the health of the body. But the landmark study published this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences solidifies it.

The mind and body are equal partners, one affecting the other, the research says. Mental parity -- making sure mental health is fully covered by insurance plans the same as physical health -- has long been a topic in Congress. Will this finding finally move the mental-parity legislation along? Will it change the way we treat patients? Will health care professionals recognize the importance of mental health treatment? Will insurance companies wake up and provide better coverage for mental health? Will they cover biofeedback, yoga, massage and other techniques proven to reduce stress and calm the mind? I hope so.

Obviously this is something I care a lot about too, but it's not an issue I'm active about. (i.e., I bitch, but do nothing more.) That fight is never going to be won while insurance companies are such a powerful lobby, and insurance companies will continue to be such a powerful lobby until we fix the health care system. I believe strongly that we need single-payer health care. In the absence of single-payer health care, we should at least strive to cover the uninsured. I would like my insurance company to pay for more of my mental health care, but I recognize that I get far better care than so many people out there who have no insurance and no money to pay for care themselves. If things continue in the direction they are going, more and more people will go uninsured. The current healthcare system benefits no one but insurance companies and rich people. That my mental-health coverage sucks, that mental illness is still discriminated against, is a problem, yes, but not the worst.

Now, I must go do my yoga video.