If we look back at the last few mass murders that have happened at schools, movie theaters, or shopping centers in the U.S. one of the commonalities is mental illness. Yet, the conversation of reforming the mental health system has still not been taken seriously.
USAToday has started a series of articles on Mental Illness. It is called, The Cost of Not Caring - Chapter 1, about a mom who is dealing with a child that has schizophrenia.
The article got me thinking ..... what would happen if one of my children was diagnosed with a serious mental illness? Would I be able to afford to the care they would need? Most of us are currently going through open enrollment. Looking at my health insurance information, I will end up paying between 20%-40% coinsurance after deductible. That could end up being thousands of dollars.
This isn't the only issue. As we saw when Senator R. Creigh was attacked by his son, as reported by the Washington Post. The attack ended with his son dead and Senator Creigh in critical condition. The day before the attack, Senator Creigh tried to have his son committed. After an evaluation, his son was not admitted -- not because he was not mentally ill, but because there were no beds available.
So, how do we get the conversation going? How do we get real reform in the care of the mentally ill?
Suggestions?
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