I had back surgery 5 years ago. They over administered steroid, which causes you to need insulin. In the hospital they gave me insulin for two days. I applied to add just $50k on insurance a couple of years ago and was turned down because the life insurance company claimed I must be diabetic. They had no appeals process.
2
Insurance companies have often done such cherry-picking. Long term care is a good example. Until such coverage is offered by the equivalent of social security, expect such cherry-picking to continue.
In the meantime, the lawyers who advertise how to get Medicaid to pick up the tab for nursing home fees (so that the children will be able to inherit the parental property) will continue to thrive--and that's a pity.
In the meantime, the lawyers who advertise how to get Medicaid to pick up the tab for nursing home fees (so that the children will be able to inherit the parental property) will continue to thrive--and that's a pity.
1
1) The suicide exclusion is 2 years in all states but 1. This is a regulatory requirement.
2) When you apply for life insurance, you authorize the company to query the Rx databases. This is disclosed to you. Under HIPAA, they cannot get your PHI without your authorization.
3) If you intend to have children, it is best to get that coverage before getting pregnant. And get as much coverage as you think you may need, as sometimes issues occur (e.g. if you get a DVT, you will pay more for coverage).
4) I think it is probably hard to isolate the impact of postpartum depression on mortality. If you commit suicide, did you have undiagnosed depression in the past? Has your brain chemistry changed such that depression will be an ongoing risk? I think this is likely the case, given that if you have PPD once, you are more likely to have prenatal depression and worse PPD in the future without the proper support. More studies that show the future mental health of women who had PPD would be useful.
Please note that people are not being declined for having PPD. They are paying more for coverage because they are more likely to die. Mortality rates are so low at these ages, that something that makes you a bit more likely to die will still result in higher premiums. Isn't that appropriate?
2) When you apply for life insurance, you authorize the company to query the Rx databases. This is disclosed to you. Under HIPAA, they cannot get your PHI without your authorization.
3) If you intend to have children, it is best to get that coverage before getting pregnant. And get as much coverage as you think you may need, as sometimes issues occur (e.g. if you get a DVT, you will pay more for coverage).
4) I think it is probably hard to isolate the impact of postpartum depression on mortality. If you commit suicide, did you have undiagnosed depression in the past? Has your brain chemistry changed such that depression will be an ongoing risk? I think this is likely the case, given that if you have PPD once, you are more likely to have prenatal depression and worse PPD in the future without the proper support. More studies that show the future mental health of women who had PPD would be useful.
Please note that people are not being declined for having PPD. They are paying more for coverage because they are more likely to die. Mortality rates are so low at these ages, that something that makes you a bit more likely to die will still result in higher premiums. Isn't that appropriate?
1
I already have issues with anxiety and depression. I'm in treatment, on medication, stable, able to hold down a full-time, challenging job. Right now I get life insurance through my employer, but I'm wondering--after this article--if I'll ever be able to get a policy on my own.
And I am seriously thinking that while I want a child, or children, I don't want to be pregnant to do it. I have enough health concerns.
And I am seriously thinking that while I want a child, or children, I don't want to be pregnant to do it. I have enough health concerns.
The name of the government panel making the decision on postpartum depression is the U.S. Preventive Service Task Force who a few years ago recommended women who had no family history of breast cancer did not need a mammogram. Guess what? It turns out 85-90 percent of women diagnosed with breast cancer have NO family history!
After writing a couple of letters including one to a member of the USPSTF, I got my mammogram. We all need to be vigilant.
After writing a couple of letters including one to a member of the USPSTF, I got my mammogram. We all need to be vigilant.
This is why you need CONFIDENTAIL Mental Health Care by paying for it and NOT using your insurance as they will use the fact that you are doing the right thing against you!
If you privately pay for mental health care and then apply for life or disability insurance and lie on the application that you have not been treated for mental health, it constitutes fraud.
There's another consequence of postpartum-depression: unfounded accusations of child abuse focused on a mate or husband. Looking back several decades ago when there was a large spate of these events in the news. Allegations rapidly escalated to accusations and criminal investigations that ruined families and parental relationships. While most cases were a conflagration of activist prosecutors, unskeptical experts, and delusion women the resulting witch hunts were a wake up call to the extraordinary problems that arise from postpartum-depression. (This, of course, is a separate issue than the ongoing problem with molestation within the church, dysfunctional families and other institutions.)
It is outrageous that insurers rely on actuarial or other such statistical evidence in setting their rates, especially where the evidence is used to make some women pay more. With Obamacare we cured this fixation on evidence in the heath care area by forcing the insurers to ignore such evidence and insure everyone who asked to be insured. Now it is clear that we should do the same thing with regard to life and disability insurance. Why should insurers be allowed to rely on evidence with life and disability insurance, when it is against the law to rely on evidence with regard to health insurance?
1
Because you live in money obsessed America.
More enlightened countries such as mine have never penalized pre-existing conditions in Health or Life Insurance, let alone potential future conditions based on a current condition or the risk of one. To actually deny insurance/coverage for the above is illegal, just as the availability of being provided credit or a loan is NOT dependent on anything other than an individual's current circumstances and not past History or lack of "Credit Ranking Score" or whatever you call that bizarre practice.
Ours is a better , more optimistic value system based World to the money obsessed, greed motivated and selfish centered business and Profit before people model you live under.
Why you accept such behavior and abuse is beyond many of us out here in the wider world!
More enlightened countries such as mine have never penalized pre-existing conditions in Health or Life Insurance, let alone potential future conditions based on a current condition or the risk of one. To actually deny insurance/coverage for the above is illegal, just as the availability of being provided credit or a loan is NOT dependent on anything other than an individual's current circumstances and not past History or lack of "Credit Ranking Score" or whatever you call that bizarre practice.
Ours is a better , more optimistic value system based World to the money obsessed, greed motivated and selfish centered business and Profit before people model you live under.
Why you accept such behavior and abuse is beyond many of us out here in the wider world!
Just one more example of why it's so hideous and utterly shameful that the US allows profiteers to prey on those with illness. Postpartum depression is an illness of body chemistry - hormones in flux after a pregnancy.
Insurance industry monsters use the wholly control to steal $$$ from women for a lifetime.
It would be sane and lovely if we would wake up and structure health care like every developed (& many developing) nation(s), assuring affordable universal access by removing the profit realized by insurers, Rx, and providers in favor of spending our resources on those whom actually need it.
But we're an enslaved people these days. And at some point slave rebel.
Insurance industry monsters use the wholly control to steal $$$ from women for a lifetime.
It would be sane and lovely if we would wake up and structure health care like every developed (& many developing) nation(s), assuring affordable universal access by removing the profit realized by insurers, Rx, and providers in favor of spending our resources on those whom actually need it.
But we're an enslaved people these days. And at some point slave rebel.
7
As I stated before, when they asked me then Qs about postpartum and I should have said yes to all, I said no.
No to the stigma; no to the drugs; no to all the companies, who would have made it worse
We have a long way to go before we actually take care of women. I hope my daughters have it better
No to the stigma; no to the drugs; no to all the companies, who would have made it worse
We have a long way to go before we actually take care of women. I hope my daughters have it better
3
Pregnancy is not an easy period for a woman. Many women feel an increased anxiety for the child and the future, which lead them to depression during pregnancy. More info about postpartum depression you can find in topic undepress.net/postpartum-depression-what-is-it-symptoms-causes-treatment/
1
Some of the comments reflect a lack of reading. This article is about life and disability insurance, not health insurance, which is available under the ACA to all, regardless of health history.
Neither disability or life insurance are mandatory and both are based upon one's personal decision to buy it. Thus there is a need to rate people via actuarial methods. I am now in my 60's and the life insurance policy that I bought 15 years ago for a 10 year period would be much more costly today, because I am more likely to die. A woman or man with a history of significant depression has a higher risk of death or disability than one without, just as those who have other diseases like heart, kidney, hypertension, diabetes - or habits such as smoking or obesity.
If rates do not vary, then the young and healthy will opt out of buying policies, leaving only a cohort of those with higher risk, escalating premiums and what is known as an insurance death spiral.
Setting aside whether or not the risk is significant of death or disability in women with PPD, women and men who do not suffer from current or history or significant health issues are not required to subsidize those who do.
There is no conspiracy and this is not an article that should result in health care and insurance being debated. Apples and oranges.
Neither disability or life insurance are mandatory and both are based upon one's personal decision to buy it. Thus there is a need to rate people via actuarial methods. I am now in my 60's and the life insurance policy that I bought 15 years ago for a 10 year period would be much more costly today, because I am more likely to die. A woman or man with a history of significant depression has a higher risk of death or disability than one without, just as those who have other diseases like heart, kidney, hypertension, diabetes - or habits such as smoking or obesity.
If rates do not vary, then the young and healthy will opt out of buying policies, leaving only a cohort of those with higher risk, escalating premiums and what is known as an insurance death spiral.
Setting aside whether or not the risk is significant of death or disability in women with PPD, women and men who do not suffer from current or history or significant health issues are not required to subsidize those who do.
There is no conspiracy and this is not an article that should result in health care and insurance being debated. Apples and oranges.
8
Well said, James. I am a supporter of effective treatment programs for postpartum depression at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, CA. The MOMS program is one of the only mental health programs devoted solely to this issue. No woman is turned away because of a lack of insurance or a lack of the co-pay money. Having said that, I feel this article is not responsible reporting. The writer cannot, and does not, name one woman who was denied coverage and not one company denying coverage. This is NOT, as many people have mis-read, health insurance. IT IS DISABILITY insurance which is run by the states and often labor unions. It is LIFE INSURANCE and actuaries determine how long you will live based on your age and a physical exam, and charge accordingly. Want to lower your Life Insurance premiums? Stop smoking, stop drinking and driving, stop talking non-prescription opoids. Etc. Postpartum mothers (as well as dads and families) need treatment and scare articles like this are a dis-service. Nearly 20% of new moms suffer from PPD.
Here is a very effective program:
https://www.elcaminohospital.org/services/mental-health/specialty-progra...
https://www.elcaminohospital.org/services/mental-health/specialty-progra...
I don't see why you thought this article was confusing about mandatory insurance-life insurance and disability insurance have never been mandatory, nor has health insurance until the ACA. I see no confusion in the writing.
This isn't about health coverage, it's about life insurance.
My husband had a bone marrow transplant. His employer applied for Key Man insurance on him and others at the company and he was totally declined.
That was years ago and he's still with us!
Likely the best strategy is to get insurance through your employer.
My husband had a bone marrow transplant. His employer applied for Key Man insurance on him and others at the company and he was totally declined.
That was years ago and he's still with us!
Likely the best strategy is to get insurance through your employer.
2
Wow. Haven't we come a long way when it comes to destigmatizing mental illness or emotional distress, and encouraging people to seek appropriate and needed help? Not.
Some things will never, ever change and this seems to be one of them.
If one suffers any sort of mental meltdown, for any reason, might as well be wearing a scarlett "C" -- for crazy -- for all of one's days.
Some things will never, ever change and this seems to be one of them.
If one suffers any sort of mental meltdown, for any reason, might as well be wearing a scarlett "C" -- for crazy -- for all of one's days.
There is hope. Lots of organizations out there being led by powerful voices, and are gaining a following, with support from the Oval Office and Hollywood. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Mental_Health_Anti-Stigma_Campaign Be the change you wish to see! www.humbledseeker.com
Insurance without underwriting is welfare.
4
Everyone knows that. In fact, that is the objective.
1
" Insurance without underwriting is welfare"
or could also be seen as the measure of a Country's Success, just as non coverage, overly high Premiums and Excessive Profits show the breadth of a Country's Failure.
Which one do you think best describes America?
or could also be seen as the measure of a Country's Success, just as non coverage, overly high Premiums and Excessive Profits show the breadth of a Country's Failure.
Which one do you think best describes America?
And if you are diagnosed with PTSD, so often spurred by actions of other people in daily life and war, you are extra SOL. Meanwhile, people who are truly suffering are still advised to seek help knowing their financial and health futures can be ruined by the corporate dollar. You continue to be punished for the disclosure in seeking help.
2
Another reason why the private insurance industry needs to be completely upended and crushed! It's one of the most heartless service sectors we have. Anyone who refuses a depressed person - or someone who might get depression - insurance should be publicly humiliated and jailed!
3
Better yet, when someone who is depressed asks for life insurance, it should be given to them without charge! After all, they need life insurance more than most people.
1
"It is scary to think that I am less insurable when I am likely someone who needs life insurance more"
That is the way insurance works. The insurance company is making bets on statistical predictions - if you are more likely to die, your LIFE insurance costs more.
The article did not clarify enough, apparently, that this problem does not apply to women's HEALTH insurance, which is now protected by Obamacare, so they can't be made to pay more, and their policy can't be cancelled if they should become sick.
That is the way insurance works. The insurance company is making bets on statistical predictions - if you are more likely to die, your LIFE insurance costs more.
The article did not clarify enough, apparently, that this problem does not apply to women's HEALTH insurance, which is now protected by Obamacare, so they can't be made to pay more, and their policy can't be cancelled if they should become sick.
5
But why, having destroyed the nefarious link between actuarial evidence and premiums in health care, should we not do the same with other forms of insurance?
1
"It is scary to think that I am less insurable when I am likely someone who needs life insurance more than those without mental health issues,”
This statement highlights the stigma of mental health issues.
Would she make the same statement about a single working mother of four with diabetes?
Those of us with mental health issues in treatment are not single men sitting at a tavern as good time Charlie. We are also working profesionals with families that need life insurance as well. Join the club.
Maybe Ms. Fox should gain an understanding of why she is part of the less than 1% that end up hospitalized for post pardom and ensure she is still receiving treatment to ensure another bout does not come up. Life wont get any easier.
This statement highlights the stigma of mental health issues.
Would she make the same statement about a single working mother of four with diabetes?
Those of us with mental health issues in treatment are not single men sitting at a tavern as good time Charlie. We are also working profesionals with families that need life insurance as well. Join the club.
Maybe Ms. Fox should gain an understanding of why she is part of the less than 1% that end up hospitalized for post pardom and ensure she is still receiving treatment to ensure another bout does not come up. Life wont get any easier.
1
Men usually pay substantially more for life insurance than women, for the statistical reason that women live longer than men. It has nothing to do with an individual male, he's just unfortunately a member of the wrong statistical group.
And men, especially young men, tend to pay substantially more for automobile insurance than women. Again, it's not the individual that is at fault, the rate disparity exists for men with a clean driving record; it's membership in the male gender.
It sometimes works the other may, women tend to pay more for disability insurance than men.
So, what is fair and what isn't?
And men, especially young men, tend to pay substantially more for automobile insurance than women. Again, it's not the individual that is at fault, the rate disparity exists for men with a clean driving record; it's membership in the male gender.
It sometimes works the other may, women tend to pay more for disability insurance than men.
So, what is fair and what isn't?
5
For life insurance, I experienced the disparity first hand. I had postpartum depression and was taking anti-depressant medication for it. My husband and I went for life insurance policies and I was charged significantly more for that reason, despite the fact that my husband was taking the same anti-depressant. Patently unfair.
7
Give women equal pay first, so we are all at least arguably starting off on the same footing, only then we can start having a discussion about what constitutes "fairness."
3
What decidedly ISN'T fair is America's insurance racket!
I was denied life insurance a few years ago due to having had two episodes of depression (after the births of each of my two children more than 20 years ago). I continued to take antidepressant medication because it also completely eliminated my severe PMS, as an unexpected side effect. I was surprised that depression that responded well to treatment would be considered a count against me.
8
Again just having a uterus is labeled a preexisting illness.
28
It wasn't long ago that health insurance would pay for Viagra, but not birth control pills. Confirms the uterus theory.
1
That is a silly comment. There were very few policies ever that covered Viagra and not contraceptives. Today we have the silly rule that contraceptives are the only prescription drugs that have no co-pays.
Because women are unable to pay for themselves.
Because women are unable to pay for themselves.
The number of guises that stigma against mental illness takes never ceases to amaze me. The facts are clear: depression, which recurs in at least 50% of people after an initial episode, is a serious illness, just like diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. Insurances, especially disability insurance is yet another way in which people are penalized for having the misfortune of becoming depressed. And people's wish to rename the disease to avoid this penalty or to minimize the seriousness of it cements stigma in place. We must change the way we think about and pay for medically illness.
8
Prior to the Affordable Care Act's protection against pre-existing conditions, the same could happen to women applying for medical insurance.
7
For decades I paid out of pocket for mental health treatment so that insurance companies did not know. Had a high functioning job and therapy and then meds kept me able to be a successful wife, mother and professional. I was privileged to have the funds to pay for tx. It was very scary times. Things are getting better when one is not afraid of being denied any kind of health coverage as opposed to paying a bit more. Ultimately we must get to the point where we do not delineate between "mental" and physical illness.
15
According to this article, they can -- do -- still scour your Rx records; so much for privacy.
So did you apply for insurance and engage in fraud by willfully withholding history of treatment?
3
As a psychiatrist who has educated obstetricians and gynecologist about the necessity of screening women during and after pregnancy for depression and having treated many women with post -partum depression, I was pleased to read about the widespread screening process in an area that is essential to maternal, child and family well being. Many women whom I have treated have felt too ashamed and inadequate to seek help at the time, resulting in the episode going underground, only to be spoken of at a later date, if ever. To have insurance companies essentially punish women, and, ultimately, children and families, is outrageous and shameful. In addition, a related area, of paternal postpartum depression needs additional attention.
Sandra G Hershberg, MD
Bethesda, MD
Sandra G Hershberg, MD
Bethesda, MD
15
As a retired mental health counsellor: This is totally unfair, and could lead to more people not seeking treatment when they need to!
11
Thanks to the NYT for bringing this wrong to our attention.
9
What "wrong" is that? That insurance carriers issue polsicies that take into account people's health and risk factors? Why should someone in excellent health and a low risk should have to subsidize someone who makes poor life decisions and smokes, etc.?
As for post partum depression, the better quality carriers are not going to mishandle its underwriting.
As for post partum depression, the better quality carriers are not going to mishandle its underwriting.
2
Then lets make "better quality carriers" affordable to all....without exception.
Hello - that's the way the funds are raised - from everybody; only whose who need it have to apply for their bills to be paid. the very lucky never have to claim..... For you to be this lucky already makes you a winner; you should be grateful, as you write your premium cheques, knowing that your children, or the nice woman who cleans your house, or does your hair will be able to get medical expenses paid for, and that you helped a tiny bit....by paying your premiums without grumbling. Pour yourself a self-congratulatory scotch and lie back and enjoy your good fortune.
Another harsh example of how the richest country in the world can't figure out how to properly care for it's citizens. Is it a coincidence that we also basically have the highest murder, substance addiction, domestic violence and low happiness rates in the world? It would seem the path to maximum profits for insurance companies, the lobby they create to keep it big business and the almost evil seeming lack of compassion are perhaps not the best recipe for peoples well being.
22
If our government did its duty we would not need insurance in the first place. When will people wake up and start demanding what they deserve?
10
What does that mean? If someone plans poorly against risk and wastes their money on frivolous things, then dies - everyone else should pay for their survivors? Talk about typical NYT liberal reader drone expecting everyone else, especially the government, to "take care of them". No thanks, I'll do my own planning without asking for democratic party handouts.
Bob Rivers: are you possibly one of those rich white males who benefits enormously from Republican party handouts on your tax returns? And, a mortgage deduction is a handout. Pure and simple. I take advantage of it, too, but I also admit that it is a handout.
But handouts are only good when they are for people just like you. Then they aren't handouts, but entitlements. Oh, I forgot, entitlements are those handouts that poor people get. Rich people deserve theirs!
But handouts are only good when they are for people just like you. Then they aren't handouts, but entitlements. Oh, I forgot, entitlements are those handouts that poor people get. Rich people deserve theirs!
If our citizens understood that in order to have a single payer system, we will all have to pay a much higher tax rate, not just the 1%, we would not need private insurance in the first place.
The company I got term life insurance from -- TIAA-CREF -- told me that they simply would not write a policy during my first year post-partum. This, with NO history of mental disorders whatsoever; they simply presented it as standard policy for all women.
16
"It will probably cost them more this time, if they can get insurance at all. "
The article mentions that Ms. Fox and her husband had purchased life insurance after buying a house. Does she still have that policy? If she does, has the amount she is paying for it changed? It would have added more to this article if that information was provided.
The article mentions that Ms. Fox and her husband had purchased life insurance after buying a house. Does she still have that policy? If she does, has the amount she is paying for it changed? It would have added more to this article if that information was provided.
1
The answer is no. As I explained later, they can't go back in in the middle of your policy's term and raise the price.
1
Depression in general is not readily recognized as a health issue which makes regular life and/or work difficult if not impossible. A number of years ago a woman with a newborn jumped in front of a subway train due to postpartum depression. She disappeared and couldn't be found until it was too late. Insurance companies are reluctant to award benefits for mental health care. It is wrong and they must do more to help women who suffer.
3
What do we have HIPPA for if insurance companies (and others) can get prescription drug and psychologist's diagnostic records?
28
hahahahaha. Apparently you do not realize that insurance companies operate OUTSIDE THE LAW -- it is a completely unregulated business, that can do anything it wants. After all: they WROTE the ACA, for their own benefit and to insure that Americans never, ever, EVER have single payer or universal coverage in the future.
11
"Operate outside the law"? My head is hurting from the stupid comments; NYT please start deleting them.
Insurance carriers are HIGHLY regulated by both the states (1940 Investment Act) and the federal government (interstate commerce, etc.)
Insurance carriers are HIGHLY regulated by both the states (1940 Investment Act) and the federal government (interstate commerce, etc.)
Bob, we don't make judgments here about whether things are smart or stupid, but we do decline to publish comments (including some of yours) that insult other commenters. Please keep it civil -- use facts, not adjectives -- in responding to other people's opinions.
For 25 yrs. I have paid higher insurance premiums because I am a kidney donor. The insurance industry does this to make more MONEY and not because they don't have actuarial data that lets them know what to charge. In the past always only exceptionally healthy people were allowed to donate organs so why raise rates? They use everything loophole they can to raise insurance rates . This is capitalism in America.
My point is this is not just a mental health issue but more this is what we get for letting big business have control of our health care and ergo our lives.
I hope you have noticed that drug prices went sky high once the insurance industry got Medicare D, yep you can date the pricing surge to that lovely change in our health care system. Surprise Big Business wins again!
My point is this is not just a mental health issue but more this is what we get for letting big business have control of our health care and ergo our lives.
I hope you have noticed that drug prices went sky high once the insurance industry got Medicare D, yep you can date the pricing surge to that lovely change in our health care system. Surprise Big Business wins again!
27
You are being silly. Medicare part D was instituted because drug prices had become unaffordable for many retirees. After its implementation, the rate of increase of medical inflation declined because it turns out that people who take their maintenance medications have fewer complications and hospital stays. Who da thunk?
My health insurance plan tried to dump me because of PPD. I had told my counselor that I wasn't considering suicide, but depression made me realize why people killed themselves. She put me down as suicidal. Within a week, I got a letter from Aetna firing me as a client.
I fired back a letter telling them that (1) my counselor completely mischaracterized my mental state and (2) how the hell did they expect people with depression to get better if they cut off funding for mental health services? I cc'd my employer's HR office. I received a soothing letter from Aetna, cancelling the first one, shortly thereafter.
Thirty years later, this episode is still infuriating because so little has changed.
I fired back a letter telling them that (1) my counselor completely mischaracterized my mental state and (2) how the hell did they expect people with depression to get better if they cut off funding for mental health services? I cc'd my employer's HR office. I received a soothing letter from Aetna, cancelling the first one, shortly thereafter.
Thirty years later, this episode is still infuriating because so little has changed.
51
A lot has changed. The ACA means your insurer could never again cancel your medical insurance because you get a diagnosis - whether it's a mischaracterized one or not.
I think a lot of people are missing the difference between medical (health) insurance, which treats illness to keep you well and hopefully alive, and LIFE insurance, which pays your family if you die, or disability insurance, which pays (separate from your health insurance) to help support you if you get so disabled you can't work
I think a lot of people are missing the difference between medical (health) insurance, which treats illness to keep you well and hopefully alive, and LIFE insurance, which pays your family if you die, or disability insurance, which pays (separate from your health insurance) to help support you if you get so disabled you can't work
1
In a male-centric world, all deviation from the male model is "extra" and to be borne - preferable silently - by the "perpetrator"...to include all particularities associated with procreation beyond sperm donation. This is to include but is not limited to menstruation, birth and its associated costs and risks, and child rearing. Men just don't think in a "we're all in this together" communitarian way even though they all got here - one supposes - the usual way.
Men are impossibly insular...it goes with the testosterone and their smug bully cultures. And men, if you read this and find yourself outraged at the sweeping generalizations, step back and look at the world and the history of women in it.
Men are impossibly insular...it goes with the testosterone and their smug bully cultures. And men, if you read this and find yourself outraged at the sweeping generalizations, step back and look at the world and the history of women in it.
25
Preach, Sallie.
In addition to USAA, Northwestern Mutual, MassMutual and many other companies include the additional purchase option in both life and disability insurance policies. This feature can be designed to trigger at life events, every x years, or certain big birthdays. IMHO, these clauses are among the most valuable yet overlooked benefits of such insurance.
The insured needs to be alert to the trigger dates, however. (Program them years ahead into your digital calendar?) The company will send an advance notice but, since it comes in an insurance co. envelope, it can easily be pitched unopened, or buried on a busy desk.
The notice might coincide with a time of financial stress (new baby, new home) and be thought unaffordable. Before letting the trigger pass without exercising the option, consider carefully whether it is truly unaffordable in the longer view. Maybe exercise the option for only part of the offered additional coverage. (You are guaranteeing insurability and rate class, not the same premium. Your age at the time of option exercise will determine the premium.)
This option can be found on relatively inexpensive term policies, so you can insure your future insurability with a small, early investment.
In fact, the earlier the better. Buying insurance on the life of your child or teen is not so much about recovering proceeds if your child dies as it is about insuring your child's insurability no matter what illness or condition might surface later.
The insured needs to be alert to the trigger dates, however. (Program them years ahead into your digital calendar?) The company will send an advance notice but, since it comes in an insurance co. envelope, it can easily be pitched unopened, or buried on a busy desk.
The notice might coincide with a time of financial stress (new baby, new home) and be thought unaffordable. Before letting the trigger pass without exercising the option, consider carefully whether it is truly unaffordable in the longer view. Maybe exercise the option for only part of the offered additional coverage. (You are guaranteeing insurability and rate class, not the same premium. Your age at the time of option exercise will determine the premium.)
This option can be found on relatively inexpensive term policies, so you can insure your future insurability with a small, early investment.
In fact, the earlier the better. Buying insurance on the life of your child or teen is not so much about recovering proceeds if your child dies as it is about insuring your child's insurability no matter what illness or condition might surface later.
5
Thanks. If you're right, and I hope you are, I find it surprising that not a single insurance company besides USAA brought this up with me when I asked them a series of questions in this area (and MassMutual blew me off entirely). You'd think they'd want to help themselves and/or their policyholders by explaining themselves, but...
14
I haven't checked recently, so I don't know about these companies for sure, but I purchased such policies from these companies for myself and my children a few years ago.
Many carriers have them, but they are expensive, may shut off at a certain age, and/or not provide a large enough jumpt to be worthwhile.
The tone of this article, along with some of the ludicrous comments, being anti-insurance company is off base. People think "insurance" is what you buy AFTER you have an issue; like a person who had a car accident and then wants to buy car coverage, or the person with a major health problem who seeks out life insurance.
For those who understand what insurance actually is, it is not going to be sold to someone in a high risk category unless they are willing to pay a huge amount for it.
Those complaining about that should be willing to put their money where their mouth is, and start a pool of funds to subsidize other people. Actually, that's what happened 400 years ago with the Dutch blacksmith guilds which is what led to the start of insurance in the first place.
Until then, do not ask someone like me - who is VERY health conscious, eating extremely healthy, exercising daily, etc to pay for someone who is less disciplined and willing to go through what I do every day. Have I also been lucky with my health, yes - but I work VERY hard to reduce the risk factors, which clealry a lot of other people are too lazy to do - but want others to pay for when the consequences occur.
The tone of this article, along with some of the ludicrous comments, being anti-insurance company is off base. People think "insurance" is what you buy AFTER you have an issue; like a person who had a car accident and then wants to buy car coverage, or the person with a major health problem who seeks out life insurance.
For those who understand what insurance actually is, it is not going to be sold to someone in a high risk category unless they are willing to pay a huge amount for it.
Those complaining about that should be willing to put their money where their mouth is, and start a pool of funds to subsidize other people. Actually, that's what happened 400 years ago with the Dutch blacksmith guilds which is what led to the start of insurance in the first place.
Until then, do not ask someone like me - who is VERY health conscious, eating extremely healthy, exercising daily, etc to pay for someone who is less disciplined and willing to go through what I do every day. Have I also been lucky with my health, yes - but I work VERY hard to reduce the risk factors, which clealry a lot of other people are too lazy to do - but want others to pay for when the consequences occur.
As with most medical illness , it's not as simple as "mild depression'. As a psychiatrist I have been taught that Postpartum Depression is sometimes a harbinger of Bipolar Disorder, an illness that likely has a greater impact on lifetime insurance claims than does Major Depression. On the other hand, there is some emerging thought that conceptualizes Postpartum Depression as an encephalopathy, an inflammation of the brain. The effect, if this is true, some or all of the time, on prognosis is unknown. I see the issue as one of determining how thoroughly society chooses to pool risk for insurance purposes. We have decided that genetic vulnerability can never be used to set rates and HIV infection status can be used only for some types of insurance. In the current muddled picture my hypertension raises my life insurance and long term care insurance rates but not my health insurance cost.
6
A related issue is the potential fallout from over-diagnosis after a mammogram. I know of an instance in which a life insurer refused to issue a policy until they received the test report of a biopsy that had been recommended by an overcautious radiologist. Once that recommendation was made, the patient couldn't obtain life insurance unless she submitted to the biopsy - even though the surgeon to whom she was referred reviewed the mammogram and said the biopsy wasn't warranted. (The biopsy was normal.)
7
Explain what would prevent someone from delaying a biopsy until after obtaining life or disability insurance if they had reason to believe they had cancer. If you were an insurer, wouldn't you be suspicious if someone had an abnormal mammogram and then decided to get insurance.
Just because ObamaCare lets you get insurance after you get sick or after you get pregnant doesn't make it a reasonable practice.
Allowing people who know or think they are sick to get insurance premiums as if they were not raises insurance costs for everyone.
Sure, its unfortunate when someone realizes they should have gotten insurance, but the people who wait too long are free riders.
Just because ObamaCare lets you get insurance after you get sick or after you get pregnant doesn't make it a reasonable practice.
Allowing people who know or think they are sick to get insurance premiums as if they were not raises insurance costs for everyone.
Sure, its unfortunate when someone realizes they should have gotten insurance, but the people who wait too long are free riders.
1
ebmem, in this case, there was disagreement among the medical professionals as to whether the biopsy was warranted. (Not surprisingly, the practice that would benefit from performing the procedure wanted it done; the surgeon who didn't perform the specialized technique needed saw nothing alarming in the mammogram.) As other articles have pointed out, mammography is highly prone to false positives - which is exactly what this case was proven to be. Also, the insurance purchase was actually the exchange of an existing policy for another one which would save the buyer on premium costs in the long run, but would actually benefit the insurer if the buyer died within a few years. It was an unusual situation due to the type of policy that was being replaced, which had a premium schedule that was going to cause premiums to quadruple in another 5 years.
1
Will people ever realize that insurance providers are only there to take money for themselves and don't really do anything useful?
Apparently not.
Apparently not.
8
Insurers group people with similar risk and charge them appropriate premiums to cover the probability that an adverse event will occur. If you live in an area where there are a lot of auto accidents, you pay more than people who live in areas that have low accident rates. If you have many moving violations you pay more than someone who has none.
What insurers do that is useful is pay claims when one has an adverse event. They also provide protections for those who lend money to buy a house or car.
What insurers do that is useful is pay claims when one has an adverse event. They also provide protections for those who lend money to buy a house or car.
1
No.
Insurance companies exist for one reason only: to make money for their owners/stockholders.
How do I know? I worked in that industry and it was beaten into my head. If we actually sell some insurance or pay out some benefits (careful there, Skippy: don't get carried away!) in the process of making money, well, fine. But we make money or you are gone.
Insurance companies exist for one reason only: to make money for their owners/stockholders.
How do I know? I worked in that industry and it was beaten into my head. If we actually sell some insurance or pay out some benefits (careful there, Skippy: don't get carried away!) in the process of making money, well, fine. But we make money or you are gone.
But they sure as hell cover Viagra and Cialis
22
This article is vague enough to confuse people, but HEALTH INSURANCE and life insurance are not the same thing.
Also, Viagra and Cialis are not "spanish fly" nor aphrodisiacs as often portrayed in the media (or by naive consumers). They are to help men with serious health problems that result in impotence. They are NOT to produce "super sex" for otherwise healthy men, and they will not work for that purpose.
Also, Viagra and Cialis are not "spanish fly" nor aphrodisiacs as often portrayed in the media (or by naive consumers). They are to help men with serious health problems that result in impotence. They are NOT to produce "super sex" for otherwise healthy men, and they will not work for that purpose.
2
Given how many of our politicians are "pro-life", you would think they would pass a law preventing insurance companies from discriminating against new mothers, in the hope of keeping them sane in order to take care of their babies.
17
The evidence suggests not many care much about babies after they are born.
Dear Sir ,
WHO DID GET INTO THIS MESS ???
Historically , Since 1950 , T.A. Bilikiewicz ( 1901-1980 ) formulated first
phenomenon of psychoses associated with normal child delivery. Postpartum mothers expressed adjustment disorders resulted from abnormal environmental stimulation.
Therefore , it would be plausible to secure physiological delivery process
with behavioral modification , if necessary , in order to protect perinatal mood of our Ladies.
Remarking on the recent profusion of a variety of pseudo diagnostic ,
psychiatric " revelations " associated with natural child delivery provides
only insult to injury.
Apparently , we are in lamentable medical regress. The amount of time
and money being spent on such new social programming is pitifully
prohibitive.
WHO DID GET INTO THIS MESS ???
Historically , Since 1950 , T.A. Bilikiewicz ( 1901-1980 ) formulated first
phenomenon of psychoses associated with normal child delivery. Postpartum mothers expressed adjustment disorders resulted from abnormal environmental stimulation.
Therefore , it would be plausible to secure physiological delivery process
with behavioral modification , if necessary , in order to protect perinatal mood of our Ladies.
Remarking on the recent profusion of a variety of pseudo diagnostic ,
psychiatric " revelations " associated with natural child delivery provides
only insult to injury.
Apparently , we are in lamentable medical regress. The amount of time
and money being spent on such new social programming is pitifully
prohibitive.
1
Postpartum psychosis is not the same as postpartum depression. Postpartum psychosis is much less frequent, but appears to happen in women with undiagnosed (or diagnosed) bipolar disorder. These are biological conditions (not "adjustment disorders") that are triggered by sudden hormonal shifts, sleep deprivation, cessation of breastfeeding, etc. and respond very well to intensive treatment. The key is recognizing that distorted thinking and severe mood swings are symptoms of a treatable mental health disorder and nothing to be ashamed of.
This article is implying there is something unethical about smart insurance underwriting. This follows in the current trend to say that all underwriting, whether it be for health or life risks, is discriminatory, for profit. At play is capitalism. Perhaps all of life should be 'equal', 'fair' and have no accountability. Maybe not. Who cares if you have ten speeding tickets and a DWI conviction, it is only fair that all should be charged the same rate for auto insurance. Its those greed insurance companies seeking 'profit' that is to blame if your not. Only in America.
7
Your use of the term "smart underwriting" is suspect. This article goes on to point out the specious leap from a diagnosis of postpartum depression to a higher lifelong risk of suicidality. What is smart about underwriting based on a faulty premise?
8
The people with ten speeding tickets and two accidents think that people with excellent driving records and/or who drive few miles should pay high rates to compensate for their incompetence or negligence.
We don't need no stinkin' actuaries to apply science and statistics to allocate costs.
We don't need no stinkin' actuaries to apply science and statistics to allocate costs.
4
The only thing in your post that was right and correct were the last three words:
"Only in America" Societies in more advanced countries (and there are more than you would know) have long ago balanced the Need for a business to do well and concurrently for a nation's people to be cognizant and in full control of their common causes and of the Greater Good.
BY the People , FOR the People , OF the People... the rest follows and this is understood by most and everyone prospers.
You might like to try it sometime, it really works and whoever first promoted this concept really knew their stuff and as a result I am sure drove their country to great heights of success and prosperity! Who was it...? Can't remember , probably Denmark or Sweden, those guys always do whats best...!
"Only in America" Societies in more advanced countries (and there are more than you would know) have long ago balanced the Need for a business to do well and concurrently for a nation's people to be cognizant and in full control of their common causes and of the Greater Good.
BY the People , FOR the People , OF the People... the rest follows and this is understood by most and everyone prospers.
You might like to try it sometime, it really works and whoever first promoted this concept really knew their stuff and as a result I am sure drove their country to great heights of success and prosperity! Who was it...? Can't remember , probably Denmark or Sweden, those guys always do whats best...!
As a healthy 47 year old single female several years ago I purchased LTD coverage. However when I read all the fine details I discovered that any "female" disorder was not covered. I had never had any "female" health problems and in fact had been proactive in "female" health screenings almost every year since I had become an adult such as PAP exams and mammograms, all showing complete good health. I often wondered if there was a blanket "male" disorder category; has anyone heard of one? I am now 65 yrs. old and still healthy(except for arthritis) and the only "female" problem I had was when a Mayo Clinic Dr.(male) read my chart wrong and told me I needed a hysterectomy because of pre-cancer cells that showed up after a PAP. I found out after the surgery that I hadn't needed it at all.
29
How do these insurers sleep at night?
7
Like a baby on a cloud. Because they got your money, and they are rich, and they are completely IMMUNE from any oversight or control by Federal regulations.
7
...correct! Those that aren't out all night on your dollar , are asleep on 5000 Thread Egyptian cotton Sheets that cost more than your Holiday you didn't have last year or the previous 3,4 or even 6 years before that.
But whilst you CAN'T...Rest Assured(I repeat you can't) it was you that paid for those Sheets that I can guarantee He/She is most Assuredly Resting Well underneath each Night.
But whilst you CAN'T...Rest Assured(I repeat you can't) it was you that paid for those Sheets that I can guarantee He/She is most Assuredly Resting Well underneath each Night.
Why shouldn't insurer's charge more? The risk is higher - someone has to bear the cost - why not those who are at higher risk?
7
You must not know much about PPD. It often (but not always) occurs in women who have never experienced depression before. With proper treatment many women never experience depression again whether they get pregnant or not. I suffered from depression when I was pregnant with my first child. This was in 2007, well before universal screening was recommended. Luckily my husband and midwife recognized that I had PPD. I was fortunate enough that a well respected psychologist who specializes in PPD was taking new patients so I was able to get the help I needed.
Before I got pregnant again I spoke with my OB about my prior bout of PPD and we took precautions to help lessen my chances of developing PPD the second time. He also kept a close eye on my mental well being before and after I gave birth. Because of the extra effort and the greater confidence I felt in my parenting abilities I didn't develop PPD the second time.
Before I got pregnant again I spoke with my OB about my prior bout of PPD and we took precautions to help lessen my chances of developing PPD the second time. He also kept a close eye on my mental well being before and after I gave birth. Because of the extra effort and the greater confidence I felt in my parenting abilities I didn't develop PPD the second time.
4
"...greater confidence I felt in my parenting abilities..."
If lack of confidence is a factor in PPD, how can it be addressed?
If lack of confidence is a factor in PPD, how can it be addressed?
AK, in America it goes further than that and is a question of Insurers charging More and More again so they can make More Profit and makes for EVERYONE ending up paying More and many who won't be given Insurance at all.
Its the ultimate Pick and Choose and From everybody as much can Abuse to ensure Insurer's never Lose, whilst leaving most others Confused!
America it must be understood by Joe Public is the Poster Child for Business Profits over People's rights and protections and the things that you must live with or think are standard are in fact unique and unacceptable in most other advanced Western Nations and not even an issue ANY citizen need think or worry about.
You guys need to see exactly how the other half live are treated and are respected and recognized as that to you might seem something short of a miracle, is actually par for the course and has been for decades for us.
You have no idea how much you are being exploited and robbed compared to how it is for so many of us and which by any measure is your right and yet, denied to you by the powers that corrupt your so very easily corrupted Leaders so often and across almost every field and in every area .
It is mind boggling.
Its the ultimate Pick and Choose and From everybody as much can Abuse to ensure Insurer's never Lose, whilst leaving most others Confused!
America it must be understood by Joe Public is the Poster Child for Business Profits over People's rights and protections and the things that you must live with or think are standard are in fact unique and unacceptable in most other advanced Western Nations and not even an issue ANY citizen need think or worry about.
You guys need to see exactly how the other half live are treated and are respected and recognized as that to you might seem something short of a miracle, is actually par for the course and has been for decades for us.
You have no idea how much you are being exploited and robbed compared to how it is for so many of us and which by any measure is your right and yet, denied to you by the powers that corrupt your so very easily corrupted Leaders so often and across almost every field and in every area .
It is mind boggling.
Yet another reason why we need single payer and to get healthcare and insurance out of the hands of private companies.
40
The article isaddressing health insurance. The article is about life and disability insurance. Long term care insurance may have similar hoops to jump through for those who have been diagnosed (and successfully treated) for certain illnesses.
Re. health insurance: The. ACA forbids health insurers from refusing health insurance on the basis of preexisting conditions. It does not preclude insurers from charging higher premiums for those with preexisting conditions. The article should mention this.
It does make sense that life, long term care, and disability insurers charge more for insurance if there is data indicating that certain conditions, even after treatment, make payout more likely. That is valid actuarial analysis. However, lacking evidence, the case with successfully treated post-partum depression certainly raises fairness issues. More broadly, what about applicants who have no trouble obtaining insurance because their conditions are undiagnosed because the applicants hide them or do not seek treatment? Substance use disorders come to mind. These people may get insurance but those who have sought treatment and successfully become sober/clean who are honest with insurers are denied or made to pay more. Those successfully treated for substance use disorders may take prescription meds to curb craving. Hiding this is insurance fraud. Prescription databases yield thie information. Is denying insurance based on real data on relapse or mistaken belief?
Re. health insurance: The. ACA forbids health insurers from refusing health insurance on the basis of preexisting conditions. It does not preclude insurers from charging higher premiums for those with preexisting conditions. The article should mention this.
It does make sense that life, long term care, and disability insurers charge more for insurance if there is data indicating that certain conditions, even after treatment, make payout more likely. That is valid actuarial analysis. However, lacking evidence, the case with successfully treated post-partum depression certainly raises fairness issues. More broadly, what about applicants who have no trouble obtaining insurance because their conditions are undiagnosed because the applicants hide them or do not seek treatment? Substance use disorders come to mind. These people may get insurance but those who have sought treatment and successfully become sober/clean who are honest with insurers are denied or made to pay more. Those successfully treated for substance use disorders may take prescription meds to curb craving. Hiding this is insurance fraud. Prescription databases yield thie information. Is denying insurance based on real data on relapse or mistaken belief?
2
The federal government is actually clear on this matter: "Under the Affordable Care Act, health insurance companies can’t refuse to cover you or charge you more just because you have a “pre-existing condition” — that is, a health problem you had before the date that new health coverage starts."
More here: http://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/about-the-law/pre-existing-conditions/index.html
More here: http://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/about-the-law/pre-existing-conditions/index.html
2
Correction My first sentence should have said article is "..NOT addressing health insurance". Apologies..
1
What is understood within this article is the reason why healthcare must not be considered a capitalist adventure only. In order for capitalism to work it needs to use people up and get rid of those who can't contribute to the venture's ongoing success. This is crazy because if any worker should have a car accident, fall from a ladder when changing a light bulb, or have a baby or an illness that will require more than a two weeks off from work then they risk being dropped. So you have injured and sick people showing up for work with decreases their productivity and the that of their coworkers.
In France I am finding myself with a limited range of motion because of prolonged shoulder pain. I went to the doctor last week and have had xrays and sonogram that found nothing. I will have an MRI next week. When I suggested I just tough it out she said: "No, no. We must find the cause and treat it so you can lead a good full life. You must still be productive. You have many good years yet to live healthy and whole." A country where health care is understood to be a right for the benefit of all the country. A single payer system that is well managed.
In France I am finding myself with a limited range of motion because of prolonged shoulder pain. I went to the doctor last week and have had xrays and sonogram that found nothing. I will have an MRI next week. When I suggested I just tough it out she said: "No, no. We must find the cause and treat it so you can lead a good full life. You must still be productive. You have many good years yet to live healthy and whole." A country where health care is understood to be a right for the benefit of all the country. A single payer system that is well managed.
53
If you must take depression medication, pay the pharmacist with cash. Prescription plan coverage is typically limited, anyway, so ask what the price would be if you paid cash and regard the difference as a privacy premium.
Ditto, if you can at all afford it, for your mental health professional. If s/he won't take cash, use a money order.
In sum, do your utmost to avoid identification as a person with mental health issues. It can come back to kick you--and hard--in many ways, including the one discussed in this article.
Ditto, if you can at all afford it, for your mental health professional. If s/he won't take cash, use a money order.
In sum, do your utmost to avoid identification as a person with mental health issues. It can come back to kick you--and hard--in many ways, including the one discussed in this article.
1
I'm not sure that this would keep you out of the databases though, since you'd still be getting the prescription under your own name. And then you still face the question later of whether not revealing the meds you took is insurance fraud.
11
Pay in cash, but most importantly -- use a phony name and a phony SS number (if required).
Concerned Citizen, perhaps you should not dole out any further advice on this website, because your comment above is encouraging people to to break the law simply because they feel the deck is stacked against them - how does that benefit them if they get caught, pray tell?
2
The tone of this story is more disgusting than anything the insurance companies do. The writer keeps saying that these women shouldn't be treated like suicidal people. Because they've recently given birth, they're somehow superior to those defective wretches who became mentally ill without having a baby in the process. He has no evidence that the depressed mommies are any less fundamentally defective than anyone else with mental illness. "At what point are we going to penalize people who were never suicidal?" says the callous North Carolina doctor. If it is acceptable to be so cruel about suicidal tendencies, then let's not spare anyone with mental illness. No compassion for people who bring a new life into the world and then lose their minds. Maybe that's nature's way of saying they were never meant to be parents.
6
Nowhere do I say that they *should* be treated differently -- I'm pinpointing a question about *whether* treating them the same is the correct actuarial move. And I certainly hope that if there is actuarial data showing that people with non-recurring, non-maternal, mild-to-moderate depression commit suicide or become disabled at rates similar to people without mental illness that they too will get the best rates.
13
Nature doesn't have any particular wisdom about whom should or should not be parents. It's all random.
This is good advice. I wish I had gotten life insurance before becoming pregnant. Instead, I had a very scary medical issue at birth and could easily have died with no insurance to help pay for childcare for the baby. When I did try to get insurance, the constant illnesses associated with having a baby in daycare meant I was denied for having high liver enzymes (mostly likely caused by a random viral infection that came and went). It wasn't until my oldest was 6 that I finally got life insurance approved.
Get term life insurance as soon as you think you might want to have a baby. Then you're covered, and don't have to worry about pregnancy and birth complications, postpartum depression, or disease transmission from the squealing germ-factory you love so dearly. And don't get it through your job: so many parents leave the workforce for a time, and you'll definitely still want the insurance coverage.
Although, I would bet that the more screening for post-partum depression there is, the more insurance companies will realize that it's not something that should affect the ability to qualify for insurance. We're just stuck with this until there's enough data for the actuaries to figure it out.
Get term life insurance as soon as you think you might want to have a baby. Then you're covered, and don't have to worry about pregnancy and birth complications, postpartum depression, or disease transmission from the squealing germ-factory you love so dearly. And don't get it through your job: so many parents leave the workforce for a time, and you'll definitely still want the insurance coverage.
Although, I would bet that the more screening for post-partum depression there is, the more insurance companies will realize that it's not something that should affect the ability to qualify for insurance. We're just stuck with this until there's enough data for the actuaries to figure it out.
10
I have been dinged by the mysterious elevated liver enzymes that no doctor can explain and everyone tells me not to worry about too. It is absolutely true, as other commenters are already noting, that basically every little thing has the potential to cost you more.
10
To the extent that life insurance companies look for reasons not to have to pay out benefits, I would think this area might have even more pitfalls for policy holders -- such as a company complaining that inadequate disclosure of the past condition was made. I am thinking of those "adjustment disorder" diagnoses, for example.
11
Apart from the other seven perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, there's the least-known perinatal mood and anxiety disorder that I was diagnosed with: bipolar, peripartum onset, or postpartum bipolar disorder.
Thank you for writing this important, cutting-edge article.
Dyane Leshin-Harwood, B.A.
Member, International Society for Bipolar Disorders
Postpartum Support International
Founder, Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, Santa Cruz County, CA
Author, "Birth of a New Brain - Healing from Postpartum Bipolar Disorder"
Post Hill Press, 2017
Thank you for writing this important, cutting-edge article.
Dyane Leshin-Harwood, B.A.
Member, International Society for Bipolar Disorders
Postpartum Support International
Founder, Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, Santa Cruz County, CA
Author, "Birth of a New Brain - Healing from Postpartum Bipolar Disorder"
Post Hill Press, 2017
16
What this arrangement sets up is a perceived advantage of not getting treatment -- which makes one more of a risk long term. I would argue that I, who have taken antidepressants for years, am much less at risk for hospitalization, disability, suicide, than someone who is depressed but receives no treatment.
As for the therapist who underdiagnoses so that their patients are less likely to face discrimination -- this can also cause a mess. If someone needs therapy long term, or requires a higher level of care (or even more frequent sessions) the insurance company can deny these services based on reported diagnosis. (I'm an LCSW licensed in the state of California.)
As for the therapist who underdiagnoses so that their patients are less likely to face discrimination -- this can also cause a mess. If someone needs therapy long term, or requires a higher level of care (or even more frequent sessions) the insurance company can deny these services based on reported diagnosis. (I'm an LCSW licensed in the state of California.)
6
Only in America.
A phrase that is increasingly being used and not for anything good that is being done or just as often NOT being done.
In my Country we would say "The American People are Being done over , Big Time"
As indeed you are.
A phrase that is increasingly being used and not for anything good that is being done or just as often NOT being done.
In my Country we would say "The American People are Being done over , Big Time"
As indeed you are.