mental health and addiction treatment will be covered

[cally]

when health reform takes affect.

Just a heads up because I'm finding many who do not know this. States will not have enough treatment facilities or practitioners but by law new health insurance plans must pay for treatment and relapse prevention

[mountain grammy]

1. Since the right wingnuts and gun nuts believe mental health is the cause

of all gun problems, they should be embracing the ACA. Oh wait, they're not?

[JayhawkSD]

2. This is actually a bit of a problem for me.

Insurance companies will not be able to sell a policy that excludes "addiction treatment and relapse prevention."

Sounds great doesn't it? But what if I want to buy such a policy and have a valid reason for doing so? I have a "relapse prevention program" in place right now, and it has been working for 32 years. I have no reason to believe that it will ever stop working and therefor do not wish to pay for something that I do not ever expect to need.

If, by any chance, I did relapse, I would expect to deal with it in the same manner that I did originally. Since it dealt tith the problem for 32 years, I would expect it to do so again and that would be longer than I expect to live. So I don't need insurance that covers treatment.

So I would far prefer to buy insurance that lowers my cost by excluding addiction relapse prevention and treatment. I can reduce my auto insurance by reducing coverage, but I cannot reduce my health insurance by eliminating coverage that I have decided I do not need.

[libodem]

3. That is a bright spot

Treatment should be available and affordable. Relapses happen. Sure it's a shame. It is not the end of the world.It is par for the course. Should be able to pick oneself back up and get on that ol' wagon.

[Taverner]

4. We need an extensive drug rehabilitation system like Holland and Belgium

So many addicts were able to rebuild their lives in these.

I met a Dutch woman - and this was the 90s -- who beat a heroin and alcohol addictions through the state. Told me it was the greatest program and had a much higher success rate than the private rehabs in the world.