Columbus Dispatch Looks at Budget, Treatment, Insurance Issues Related to Mental Health Care in Ohio

The April 8 Columbus Dispatch features three stories on the state of mental health in Ohio. The articles are briefly summarized below:

• Parity Coverage: While illnesses such as depression are "as debilitating" as physical ailments, insurance coverage "comes up short" for mental illnesses. Therefore, Ohio Rep. Lynn Olman (R) is co-sponsoring a bill (HB 33) that would require insurers to provide equal levels of physical and mental health benefits. Intended to "level the playing field" for those with mental health problems, the bill would make Ohio the 33rd state to have such a parity law (Ellis, Columbus Dispatch, 4/8).
• Stigma: "Fear and misunderstanding" about mental illnesses have made it difficult for patients to access mental health facilities and argue against changes in insurance coverage as a result of managed health care. While patients are often "disadvantaged" by managed care systems, few speak out because of the "persistent stigma" (Ellis, Columbus Dispatch, 4/8).
• Funding: While Ohio's Mental Health Commission reported that about 33% of the patients it sees are "not adequately served," budget cuts still "loo[m]" for the state's mental health department. In his budget blueprint, Gov. Bob Taft (R) has proposed $515 million in total spending for mental health in FY 2002. Spending would drop to $513.8 million in FY 2003 under Taft's plan. However, the need for mental health services is increasing, and average wait for a psychiatric evaluation is about 60 days and "getting worse," according to the commission. Terry Russell, executive director of the Ohio Chapter of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, said, "The whole mental health system in the state of Ohio is in crisis. The system is not adequate to meet the need. There's a constitutional requirement that the state has to ensure that serives are available" (Ellis, Columbus Dispatch, 4/8).