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(CNN) -- The politics of health care is changing fast. President Barack Obama's Affordable Health Care Act was vulnerable during his first term when Republicans demanded repeal of the law. Even after the Supreme Court upheld its constitutionality, there were still many voices who objected to it.
However, with each passing day, it appears that the program is in good shape, slowly becoming part of the fabric of American government...
With mental health on the front burner since the Newtown, Conn., school shooting, Democrats have pointed out that the Affordable Care Act expands access to mental health care in several ways. It will get coverage for more people, either through private plans or Medicaid and the benefits will have to include mental health. A number of other proposals are circulating on Capitol Hill to address gaps in behavioral health.
But all that wont help much if psychiatrists, psychologists and counselors dont accept insurance. No one keeps tabs on precisely how many of the 552,000 mental health professionals in the U.S. according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics wont accept private health insurance. But patient advocacy groups and provider organizations say many dont want to accept low pay rates and the insurance paperwork. It does come up regularly, and Ill tell you where its especially acute theres a tremendous dearth of practitioners for children, and of the few who are there, many, many of them dont take insurance plans, said Debbie Plotnick, senior director of state policy for the advocacy group Mental Health America. Andrew Sperling, a lobbyist for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, said, There are a lot of private practice psychiatrists who refuse to accept the lower rates offered by a plan, particularly for outpatient services, so that can create an access problem.
A 2008 survey by the American Psychological Association found that 85 percent of licensed psychologists reported receiving some third-party payments. But a majority of those claims were paid by federal, state and local government programs. That means that many Americans struggling with mental illnesses must pay out of their own pocket for talk therapy which can run a couple of hundred dollars for a session and other treatments. Of 5.7 million adults who didnt get mental health care when they needed it, nearly half blamed cost or insurance issues, according to a 2005 survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Read more: Loophole for mental health care - Paige Winfield Cunningham - POLITICO.com
Obamacare won’t help much if psychiatrists, psychologists don’t accept insurance...
Loophole for mental health care
3/4/13 - Even if you get insurance under the new health care law, that’s no guarantee you’ll be able to pay your shrink.
With mental health on the front burner since the Newtown, Conn., school shooting, Democrats have pointed out that the Affordable Care Act expands access to mental health care in several ways. It will get coverage for more people, either through private plans or Medicaid — and the benefits will have to include mental health. A number of other proposals are circulating on Capitol Hill to address gaps in behavioral health.
But all that won’t help much if psychiatrists, psychologists and counselors don’t accept insurance. No one keeps tabs on precisely how many of the 552,000 mental health professionals in the U.S. — according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics — won’t accept private health insurance. But patient advocacy groups and provider organizations say many don’t want to accept low pay rates — and the insurance paperwork. “It does come up regularly, and I’ll tell you where it’s especially acute — there’s a tremendous dearth of practitioners for children, and of the few who are there, many, many of them don’t take insurance plans,” said Debbie Plotnick, senior director of state policy for the advocacy group Mental Health America. Andrew Sperling, a lobbyist for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, said, “There are a lot of private practice psychiatrists who refuse to accept the lower rates offered by a plan, particularly for outpatient services, so that can create an access problem.”
A 2008 survey by the American Psychological Association found that 85 percent of licensed psychologists reported receiving some third-party payments. But a majority of those claims were paid by federal, state and local government programs. That means that many Americans struggling with mental illnesses must pay out of their own pocket for talk therapy — which can run a couple of hundred dollars for a session — and other treatments. Of 5.7 million adults who didn’t get mental health care when they needed it, nearly half blamed cost or insurance issues, according to a 2005 survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Read more: Loophole for mental health care - Paige Winfield Cunningham - POLITICO.com
Obamacare wont help much if psychiatrists, psychologists dont accept insurance...
Loophole for mental health care
3/4/13 - Even if you get insurance under the new health care law, thats no guarantee youll be able to pay your shrink.
"Jailers separated Slevin from other inmates because of his history of mental illness, according to the lawsuit filed by Albuquerque civil rights attorney Matthew Coyte in December 2008."
"The inmates were first called "patients" in 1700, and "curable" and "incurable" wards were opened in 1725-34. In the 18th century people used to go to Bedlam to stare at the lunatics. For a penny one could peer into their cells, view the freaks of the "show of Bethlehem" and laugh at their antics. Entry was free on the first Tuesday of the month. In 1814 alone, there were 96,000 such visits."
"In a press release on the settlement, the county acknowledged Stephen Slevin was not provided adequate medical and mental health care as a detainee at the Doña Ana County Detention Center between August 2005 and June 2007.
The release detailed how the detention centers budget was $12.7 million in 2006 and is now $23.5 million, with most of the growth committed to improving health and mental health services for detainees. Also noted was the county opening a 12-bed jail intervention facility in July.
Slevin, who had a history of depression, was held in solitary confinement for most of his 18 months in the countys detention center, and his condition deteriorated as the time lapsed, according to his civil complaint. His charges were dismissed in June 2007 after he was found incompetent to stand trial by a state judge."
When liberals don't like what's really happening, they make up an alternative that they like better. Then they believe it.
When liberals don't like what's really happening, they make up an alternative that they like better. Then they believe it.
The difference is I know I made up this alternate reality. Do you know you made up yours?
The Affordable Health Care Act: Just another reason President Obama may go down in history as one of America's greatest presidents.
Health care will be an Obama legacy - CNN.com
Health care will be an Obama legacy
(CNN) -- The politics of health care is changing fast. President Barack Obama's Affordable Health Care Act was vulnerable during his first term when Republicans demanded repeal of the law. Even after the Supreme Court upheld its constitutionality, there were still many voices who objected to it.
However, with each passing day, it appears that the program is in good shape, slowly becoming part of the fabric of American government...
When liberals don't like what's really happening, they make up an alternative that they like better. Then they believe it.
The difference is I know I made up this alternate reality. Do you know you made up yours?
Only left-wingers are comfortable believing in delusions. Rational people attempt to discover the facts.
The Affordable Health Care Act: Just another reason President Obama may go down in history as one of America's greatest presidents.
Health care will be an Obama legacy - CNN.com
Health care will be an Obama legacy
(CNN) -- The politics of health care is changing fast. President Barack Obama's Affordable Health Care Act was vulnerable during his first term when Republicans demanded repeal of the law. Even after the Supreme Court upheld its constitutionality, there were still many voices who objected to it.
However, with each passing day, it appears that the program is in good shape, slowly becoming part of the fabric of American government...
Obama will go down in history as creating one of the most expensive entitlement programs in history. Long after he has left office and is laughing his ass off on the golf course in his retirement, the states will be going bankrupt, thanks to ObamaCare.
When your tax bill begins skyrocketing in 2020, remember this moment you were gloating over what a great turd you had just eaten.
Obama will go down in history as creating one of the most expensive entitlement programs in history. Long after he has left office and is laughing his ass off on the golf course in his retirement, the states will be going bankrupt, thanks to ObamaCare.
When your tax bill begins skyrocketing in 2020, remember this moment you were gloating over what a great turd you had just eaten.
Nonsense, we can afford 'affordable health Care'. Deal with it.
When liberals don't like what's really happening, they make up an alternative that they like better. Then they believe it.
The difference is I know I made up this alternate reality. Do you know you made up yours?
Only left-wingers are comfortable believing in delusions. Rational people attempt to discover the facts.
"Some of the nation’s largest health insurance companies are warning investors that they’ll raise insurance premiums by as much as 116 percent next year, as the coverage expansion provisions in the Affordable Care Act go into effect and millions of uninsured Americans begin purchasing coverage.
The threats of premium increases come as the industry is experiencing record profit$ and are part of a well-coordinated publicity campaign to alarm Americans about the cost of coverage, while downplaying mechanisms in the law that will cushion them from rate shock. The effort comes as insurers seek more favorable regulatory changes that would, in part, allow companies to charge older people more for coverage.
Insurers have long complained that the law’s more rigorous standards would raise prices, although since the Affordable Care Act was signed into law, national health expenditures have decreased and insurers in the individual market have followed the trend, posting fewer double digit increases.
The CBO analysis of the law has also determined that average premiums for individuals would be 10 percent to 13 percent higher because of the law — an increase that’s far smaller than insurers are projecting.
Insurers, meanwhile, are already seeing impressive profits. UnitedHealth, for instance, “had a particularly strong past year, with net income of $5.1 billion, up by 11% from the previous year” and Aetna is similarly beating revenue expectations. A July 2010 report from PricewaterhouseCoopers concluded that the law’s state-based health care exchanges provide private insurers with a lucrative new market in which they stand to gain up to $200 billion in revenue by 2019."
The Affordable Health Care Act: Just another reason President Obama may go down in history as one of America's greatest presidents.
Health care will be an Obama legacy - CNN.com
Health care will be an Obama legacy
Obama will go down in history as creating one of the most expensive entitlement programs in history. Long after he has left office and is laughing his ass off on the golf course in his retirement, the states will be going bankrupt, thanks to ObamaCare.
When your tax bill begins skyrocketing in 2020, remember this moment you were gloating over what a great turd you had just eaten.
Nonsense, we can afford 'affordable health Care'. Deal with it.
Good ole Cnn, still pumping out BS and pimping again for Obama
The Affordable Health Care Act: Just another reason President Obama may go down in history as one of America's greatest presidents.
Health care will be an Obama legacy - CNN.com
Health care will be an Obama legacy
(CNN) -- The politics of health care is changing fast. President Barack Obama's Affordable Health Care Act was vulnerable during his first term when Republicans demanded repeal of the law. Even after the Supreme Court upheld its constitutionality, there were still many voices who objected to it.
However, with each passing day, it appears that the program is in good shape, slowly becoming part of the fabric of American government...
