Now’s the time for Medicare For All

The Enterprise-Record has appropriately reported on the links between mental illness and vexing community problems like homelessness, substance abuse and police/community relations. As a retired physician, I have especially appreciated the articles about the mental health impact of the pandemic. Also, mental illnesses like depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and anxiety disorders produce a lot of suffering for individuals in our society.

Unfortunately, the way mental health care is financed in the United States is terrible. Ten percent of people in America with serious mental illnesses don’t have insurance. Those with private insurance also have trouble getting optimal care. Insurers pay less for mental health care than for similar care from other providers; insurers limit the choice of providers; and insurers deny proven treatments such as medication, therapy and hospitalization.

Medicare for All would eliminate the greed and waste of commercial insurance and cover everybody in the U. S. for all medically necessary care, including medications and services for behavioral and mental health (including substance use disorder) with no copays, deductibles or gaps in coverage. And, unlike commercial insurance, Medicare for All would provide choices of hospital and provider, including psychologists, psychiatrists, and licensed counselors.

— David Potter, Chico