Opinion: Not treating mental illness has high costs

As a business owner and a psychologist, I understand that the issue of mental health parity is complicated. The costs of providing mental health care would increase the cost of insurance at a time when premiums are already rising 15 percent per year on average. However, the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill estimates that the annual cost of untreated mental illness exceeds $300-billion.

The column by Sara Fritz emphasizes increased insurance costs and how some employers may be tempted to eliminate health insurance for employees altogether. This risk is real, as our company had to require an employee contribution toward health insurance premiums for the first time when we renewed our policy this year. However, her column fails to mention that the cost of limiting access to care results in larger general medical expenses and decreased worker productivity. More than 50 percent of patient beds occupied in hospitals are the direct result of emotional problems or behavioral excesses, such as substance abuse. Meanwhile, American businesses lost $29-billion per year due to absenteeism resulting from depression.

As a psychologist, I witness the shock of patients who seek care in the midst of a family crisis only to discover the limitations of their health insurance. autism, Tourette's syndrome and learning disabilities are but a few of the diagnoses that may not be covered by a company health plan. If a condition is covered, most managed care companies limit the number of sessions allowed per year. Patients who suffer from chronic conditions (such as bipolar disorder) may exhaust their annual benefits and then have to discontinue care prematurely. Finally, the higher deductibles and co-insurance associated with mental health services can discourage patients from seeking treatment in the first place.

The other major issue related to mental health parity is the constitutional guarantee of equal opportunity. Most people who need mental health care have a brain disorder. Research breakthroughs have unlocked many of the brain-based mysteries of bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, social anxiety disorder and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Maintaining a double standard for physical health and mental health constitutes discrimination against individuals with brain disorders.
-- Michael T. Smith, Ph.D., Clearwater

Help end stigma of mental illness

The May 4 cartoon by Michael Ramirez pertaining to mental health coverage and ending with the comment: "Are you Nuts?" was very offensive to persons whose lives are affected by mental illness. The cartoonist failed to realize that many persons with mental health problems can be (and are) productive members of the community with proper support, including medication. Further, the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 requires accommodation of persons with disabilities. Unfortunately, persons with mental illness have often been ignored or their needs for medication and support denied. This results in their being placed in assisted living facilities or similar places with minimal support, thus denying them an opportunity for gainful employment.

I speak from a career of working with people with disabilities, initially operating community training and work programs and later under special appointment with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to evaluate and assist communities and states in planning services for special people. Since retiring, my volunteer work has included agencies serving homeless persons. I found mentally impaired persons often are homeless because of lack of understanding and/or support. Also, I found that our police officers arrest persons with "peculiar" behavior because they do not understand mental behavior caused by mental illness.

St. Petersburg has some effective private programs to assist persons with mental illness, including local chapters of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. Pasco County also has advocacy and support programs on a smaller scale. Unfortunately, state and federal funding for support is minimal. For example, funding for elderly individuals in assisted living facilities amounts to twice the allocation for persons with mental illness. Efforts to secure "parity" in state and federal funding have been unsuccessful to date.

In conclusion, please do not use the words "nuts," "crazy," "wacky" or similar derogatory terms. Instead, take the time to get acquainted with these special people by attending local chapter meetings of NAMI. Help to erase the stigma of mental illness.
-- Claude Whitehead, New Port Richey

New hospital has been a blessing

A few months ago there appeared quite a bit of news about the closing of the G. Pierce Wood Memorial Hospital in Arcadia and the transferring of the residents to other state hospitals in February.

It was distressing because our son, Michael, was one of those who would be transferred.

Given his mental and physical condition, it was ascertained that he would be sent to the Florida State Hospital in Chattahoochee. Because it is far from our home for monthly visits and because we had heard stories years ago about the institution, we were most fearful concerning the treatment and conditions that our son would be faced with.

The closing of the G. Pierce Wood Memorial Hospital turned out to be a blessing in disguise and brought comfort to both of us because of the great change in our son's appearance and condition in just a few months since his arrival in Chattahoochee.

We cannot express sufficient praise to all the doctors, nurses and other members of the staff of Unit 14, Ward A, for their professional attitude and personal care for the patients there and especially for Michael. Because of the treatment offered, we are at peace with ourselves, knowing that we need not visit our son as often as we had while he was committed in Arcadia. God bless them all.
-- Joseph and Theresa Polcari, Clearwater

Health care crisis needs addressing

I have often been asked: "What is the difference between medical care as you practiced it between 1931 and 1968 and now?" My answer: Before 1968 more than 90 percent of patients' bills were paid directly from patient to doctor without the intervention of a third party such as an insurance company or Medicare. This produced a tension, which effectively kept the cost down. The doctor was aware that the patient might leave him if he charged too much or ordered unnecessary procedures. Despite the conflict of interest, this kept the cost from inflating.

Now, more than 90 percent of a bill is paid by an insurance company or Medicare. Now no one is disturbed too much by the high cost. The patient does not care and often asks for an expensive procedure. The $50,000 hospital bill is a source of good cocktail party conversation is talked about without shedding a tear. The insurance companies do not care because they can always raise rates to retain profitability. This makes the company bigger and executives' salaries larger. Not surprisingly the cost goes up and up. This necessitates more paperwork, more overhead expenses, more patients and less time for each patient.

Medical care has become so complicated that it is now impossible to eliminate the insurance company. However, the conflict of interest, the runaway inflation and the tremendous overhead have made medical care more of a business than a profession. Many physicians do not enjoy this but are trapped by high overhead, which includes malpractice insurance as high as $250,000.

There is only one answer, and that is government interference. There are many well-known objections to this interference, but these are transcended by the advantages. It is interesting to note that we are the only industrialized nation in the world without some comprehensive government health care plan. It is hubris to think we are right and they are wrong.

In closing, I wish to commend you for the recent and excellent article on this subject by David S. Broder (Cost explosion fuels health care crisis, April 17). He ends the article with this quote from Dr. Henry Simmons, the president of the National Coalition on Health Care: "The problem is far more serious than anybody in the political process is acknowledging. The incremental strategy is bankrupt. We need a big debate on how to get a grip on this system." It can't be postponed for long.
-- Max Slater, M.D., Sun City Center

Remembering V-E Day

Since the attack on America on Sept. 11, 2001, and the subsequent war in Afghanistan, the commemoration of special events of World War II may not be as numerous as they once were. However, it is good that we constantly be reminded of special events that took place during the greatest war in history.

Fifty-seven years ago today, after five years, eight months and seven days of death and destruction, the war in Europe was over. V-E Day (Victory in Europe) was proclaimed on May 8, 1945. Veterans, especially in the European Theater, will well remember what V-E Day meant: no more fighting. Germany was crushed and surrendered unconditionally. It also meant that American veterans could think about returning home, and European civilians could have a new lease on life.

I was based in England with the 8th Air Force on V-E Day. The jubilation and happiness of the multitude was nothing short of awesome. These people were elated beyond anything I had ever witnessed in my life. Furthermore, the war in the Pacific was winding down. V-J Day was Aug. 14, 1945.

Over 250,000 Americans lost their lives during World War II. Most of them did not have the good fortune of having their remains transported via air to the United States to be welcomed with military honor guards or buried with special ceremonies. Instead, thousands were buried in cemeteries in England, France and other places; some were not even found, only to be missing in action forever. Can you possibly imagine how their families felt?

Since the Sept. 11 attack, the United States has been forced into another war, this one quite different from what we had experienced in the past -- a war against terrorists. So far, only a few Americans have been killed in action in Afghanistan, and we grieve for their families. We have not been accustomed to large numbers of our servicemen being killed since the Vietnam War when 58,135 gave their lives. War is hell, men and women get killed and families suffer.

We are told that World War II veterans are dying at the rate of more than 1,500 every day, but thousands are still alive to remember that day in history, V-E Day, and what it meant to them and their families.
-- Jack Keller Sr., Belleair Bluffs

Don't inflate Britney's importance

Re: Britney's smoke signals new image, May 4.

So, Britney Spears' smoking habits are now legitimate front-page news? Gee, I thought there might be something more important to write about, like the health insurance crisis, the Middle East conflict, the mail bombs in the West, etc.

Perhaps saddest of all, you have wasted the talents of a great writer like Tom Zucco on a meaningless piece of drivel which I would expect to find in a teen-bop magazine -- not in "Florida's Best Newspaper." What were you thinking, Tom?

Somehow, you even managed to believe that it was more important to put the princess of pop above the fold, ahead of stories about Catholic Church abuses and the Department of Children and Families.
-- Kathy Hainisch, St. Petersburg

They don't care

Why do you have an article about Britney Spears on the front page? We don't care! She is 20 years old, she can do what she wants. Even my 11-year-old does not care. Leave the "Britney is smoking," to the National Enquirer and Star magazines. What a disappointment, I thought you guys were better than that.
-- Barbara Black, Clearwater

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