An insurance story by Republic reporter Amanda Crawford caught my attention. It's about how mental health coverage falls short in Arizona. Click here to read it.
It made me wonder, as I read, what do they - insurance companies - consider as mental health. Her story featured a bipolar/obsessive compulsive 12-year old with Tourette syndrome. Definitely a costly diagnosis. Could kids with ADHD, anxiety or aspergers fall into needing "mental health" coverage? All of these diagnoses seem increasingly common - at least with moms I speak with.
What would happen if parents with ADHD kids do if they couldn't afford meds? The school administrations - in my opinion - would probably look for ways to expel those kids - I can imagine a principal saying 'you can't put other kids in harm' because that particular child throws up his jacket as he walks or spins around with her backpack while she waits to be picked up.
So, I guess my question to you moms is do you worry about insurance covering mental illness?
Arizona Moms Editor Yvette Armendariz shares stories about raising her kids and tips for busy parents in her Time-starved (goddess) Mom blog. She and her husband are raising two children, ages 8 and 11.
I found this story
I found this story disturbing. Let me say from the outset that I love my country (don't want to pull a Michelle Obama), but we as a nation are so far behind on health care in general it is scary.
Mental illness runs in my family and I have already had one of my kids treated for anxiety. Thank goodness no meds were required. But if they were, we have insurance that will cover it.
When people can't afford medication or even afford to see a doctor in the first place, they end up homeless or in jail.
It saddens me when I hear the stories of the kid who is off his meds and shoots to kill - or the mom who can't afford meds and ends up killing her own son. We villify these people - and don't get me wrong - their actions are heinous. But it is the beast within them. If you've even seen a loved one battle mental illness you would see it.
It bothers me that there is still a stigma about mental illness. Truly, there is no difference to me between having to be on medication for high blood pressure and having to be on meds for depression. As a nation, we need to do more to help before more tragedies occur.
sure, fine, whatever
It's very sad. And I worry
It's very sad. And I worry about this as a mom. I have a kid with ADHD. Before we had our child diagnosed, I was told by many places that some insurances didn't cover the test and I could be out hundreds of dollars. Luckily mine did.
But I have a friend trying to figure out if her child is just anxious or has asperger's or something else. And from what I understand, she was told it's better to be diagnosed with asperger's than anxiety because asperger's is considered a developmental problem. Interestingly, she told me many issues are similar with asperger's and social anxiety kids.