LETTERS: GETTING COVERAGE FOR BRAIN DISORDERS

To the editor:

Parkinson's disease, Alzheimers, epilepsy, schizophrenia. All four are brain disorders, but only the first three have been adequately covered by Missouri insurers, until this week, that is. Thursday was the day House Bill 335 (regulation of managed-care plans and ending discriminatory coverage of brain disorders and mental illness under managed-care plans) became law. This means if your are covered by an HMO or other managed-care plan, you no longer risk impoverishment when you or your covered dependents are stricken with a brain disorder such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or major depressive illness.

At present, most Missourians fall under some form of managed care. This is a huge and historic step in the right direction.

Still, an estimated 30 percent of our population may have inadequate or no coverage for brain disorders and mental illness. The new law does not apply to indemnity plans.

Left untreated, these illnesses can be profoundly disabling, disrupting a person's ability to think, feel and relate to others and his environment. Persons with schizophrenia have a significantly higher-than-average risk of premature death from accidents and suicide. In persons with bipolar (manic depressive) disorder, the suicide rate is a whopping 10 to 12 percent.

This is doubly tragic. Thanks to recent major scientific advances, there are more good, effective treatments on the market than ever before.

Advanced imaging technology has identified structural and functional differences in the brains of individuals with brain disorders. And researchers have identified several biological factors, such as brain chemistry and genetics, that are among the causes of the brain disorders.

Insurers can no longer claim these disorders are unidentifiable, undiagnosable or caused by character weaknesses or bad parenting. Medical science has proved that these are legitimate illnesses of the brain that respond to medical treatment. In fact, mental illness is more treatable than heart disease.

It's time for the indemnity-plan insurers to provide coverage and make lifesaving treatments available. It's the only right thing to do.

CINDI KEELE, Executive Director

Missouri Coalition of Alliances for the Mentally Ill

Jefferson City