Mental Health Parity Is Now Iowa Law
Kudos to the Legislature and Governor for finally signing mental health insurance parity into law.
A measure of insurance protection for many Iowans with mental illnesses was signed into law Monday by Gov. Tom Vilsack.
“We've waited a long time for this,” said Vilsack, a Democrat.
With
some limitations, the new mental health parity law will require
insurers to provide coverage for mental illness that is comparable to
coverage for physical ailments.
The law covers a category of
“biological” mental illnesses that includes schizophrenia and major
depression, along with bipolar, schizo-affective, obsessive-compulsive,
pervasive development and autistic disorders.
Not covered are eating disorders and substance abuse.
The
insurance requirement will apply to group policies provided to
companies with more than 50 employees; public employees; and small
businesses that currently have mental health coverage.
“I feel
like now we have an equal basis with physical disabilities,” said Gano
Whetstone, a tutor in the Des Moines schools who has a schizo-affective
disorder.
Whetstone and other advocates of the legislation
crowded into Lt. Gov. Sally Pederson's office at the Capitol to witness
the signing of House File 420.
“Today is one more step in making progress to provide health care access for people with mental illness,” said Pederson.
“It's incredibly important that we end the discrimination that we've seen for so many years against mental illness,” she said.
Iowa joins 46 other states that have adopted some type of mental health parity law.
Mental health advocates say they'll continue to work for an Iowa law that is more comprehensive.
What took so long for Iowa to be “#47” on the block?
Blog For Iowa 
Oh, for cryin' out loud! I cannot believe that IOWA was the 47th state to pass a mental health parity law. It's embarrassing. Wonder why it took so long? I'm guessing having both houses of the legislature controlled by Republicans voting for corporate interests.
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