Parity or parody?

Your tax dollars at work? Apparently in a county in Ohio, most of the people treated in abuse and recovery centers are covered by tax money when they are ordered to attend. People who have insurance often have to rely on their own money to fund recovery because insurance doesn't cover visits to recovery or mental health institutes. But all that is supposed to change. On January 1, 2010 they passed the Mental Health Parity Act, which was supposed to make abuse and mental health services available the same way surgeries and other health benefits are.

"Benefits for treating substance and alcohol abuse have been much more limited than medical care benefits. Previously, insurance companies would pay for the health issues caused by the abuse, but not treatment for the abuse itself. For instance, someone with liver problems would receive medical treatment, but limited or no alcohol recovery treatment, Hollingsworth said."

But: "The law does not require that all MHSA conditions be covered. However, once an employer or other payer decides to cover a MHSA condition, then that coverage must be on par with the medical-surgical benefit. Some payers/group health plans may decide to exclude certain MHSA diagnoses."

So really, they don't have to cover anything. They can pick and choose among the DSM-IV to see what they will cover or not cover. Pretty shitty, eh? One would think that they would want people to be healthy and survive illnesses. To treat the disease and not just the symptoms. But, of course, the health insurance companies only care about the bottom line. How disgusting. If only we could protest by not getting insurance, but then where would we be? My dad broke his pinkie and it cost $8,000 AFTER insurance. Imagine what it would have cost him without insurance? Too much.

So let's see as time goes on just how much "parity" we get.