Mental Health Cover
In the US private medical insurance is very necessary. Without it medical costs are extremely high. Despite their reliance on this system of health care the government has only just passed a law demands that health insurance providers give equal weight to mental health issues as well as physical ones.
Of course health insurance in the US is very different from what it is in the UK. They rely on it to keep their citizens healthy. Only 15% of US citizens do not have health insurance. Those that don't are not provided with very good alternatives.
Because there is no comprehensive, free health care like we have in the UK with the NHs, their insurance policies have to cover more. They cover substance abuse and addiction, for example, whereas UK policies do not. The new laws are designed to extend the level of mental health cover.
US Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis said about the new laws:
'Today's rules will bring needed relief to families faced with meeting the cost of obtaining mental health and substance abuse services. The benefits will give these Americans access to greatly needed medical treatment, which will better allow them to participate fully in society.'
In the UK health is not covered as standard on all policies. Psychiatric cover is provided only in the more expensive and top-of-the-range policies and even then with restrictions. Even then addiction issues, like drug and alcohol abuse, are never covered.
The problem is that mental health issues are quite prevalent in society. For example, at any one time it is thought that one in ten adults is suffering from depression. This means that it is an expensive thing for insurance companies to cover. It is also an area which is still surrounded by subjectivity, unlike physical health which has more known 'symptoms' used to diagnose it.
Of course if you take out a policy when you have already been diagnosed with a mental health condition then you will not be covered for this condition anyway. However if your policy covers mental health and you develop a condition you will be covered but each policy has its own limits of cover.
Bupa, for example, stipulate:
'Subject to your cover under your benefits, we may, at our discretion, pay for eligible treatment of a psychiatric condition ......'
The words 'at our discretion' suggest the arbritary nature of this kind of cover. This clause could mean that an insurance company has the ability to deny psychiatric cover to a client. 'Our discretion' is not a concrete term that can be contested.
Of course psychiatric treatment is available on the NHS but the resources are very stretched. Paying for treatment privately is expensive particularly when you consider the long term prognosis of many mental health conditions.
Of course health insurance in the US is very different from what it is in the UK. They rely on it to keep their citizens healthy. Only 15% of US citizens do not have health insurance. Those that don't are not provided with very good alternatives.
Because there is no comprehensive, free health care like we have in the UK with the NHs, their insurance policies have to cover more. They cover substance abuse and addiction, for example, whereas UK policies do not. The new laws are designed to extend the level of mental health cover.
US Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis said about the new laws:
'Today's rules will bring needed relief to families faced with meeting the cost of obtaining mental health and substance abuse services. The benefits will give these Americans access to greatly needed medical treatment, which will better allow them to participate fully in society.'
In the UK health is not covered as standard on all policies. Psychiatric cover is provided only in the more expensive and top-of-the-range policies and even then with restrictions. Even then addiction issues, like drug and alcohol abuse, are never covered.
The problem is that mental health issues are quite prevalent in society. For example, at any one time it is thought that one in ten adults is suffering from depression. This means that it is an expensive thing for insurance companies to cover. It is also an area which is still surrounded by subjectivity, unlike physical health which has more known 'symptoms' used to diagnose it.
Of course if you take out a policy when you have already been diagnosed with a mental health condition then you will not be covered for this condition anyway. However if your policy covers mental health and you develop a condition you will be covered but each policy has its own limits of cover.
Bupa, for example, stipulate:
'Subject to your cover under your benefits, we may, at our discretion, pay for eligible treatment of a psychiatric condition ......'
The words 'at our discretion' suggest the arbritary nature of this kind of cover. This clause could mean that an insurance company has the ability to deny psychiatric cover to a client. 'Our discretion' is not a concrete term that can be contested.
Of course psychiatric treatment is available on the NHS but the resources are very stretched. Paying for treatment privately is expensive particularly when you consider the long term prognosis of many mental health conditions.
Labels: health insurance, mental health cover, private medical insurance, psychiatric cover
posted by Insurance News at
8:38 AM
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