Feds must not fail the mentally ill
Iam concerned with the state of our health care, and I’m not alone. Many are worried about the outcome of reform. Every day there is talk about Medicare and Medicaid being slashed. I’d like to shed light on one aspect of health care that is working — Medicare Part D. Medicare Part D allows for persons who are disabled physically, have a diagnosis of mental illness, or older than 65 to receive the prescription drugs they need.
Medicare Part D makes it affordable for Oklahomans to get the treatment that they need. Without this help, we risk what we had in the 1960s — prolonged in-patient stays, with overcrowded conditions, in state-funded hospitals. On an average day in 1960, nearly 6,400 Oklahomans were in the state’s mental hospitals. Medicare Part D is making it possible to treat people with medication and therapy as an outpatient, rather than the costly in-patient stays. Of the 185,000 Oklahomans who are treated for mental illness, only 5 percent have needed to be hospitalized, thanks to drug therapy.
There is an immense stigma surrounding people with mental illness; however, the truth is that it’s a disease, just like any other, and with treatment individuals who suffer from it can successfully be a part of society.
Before I got on the right medication, I had a dark, ubiquitous cloud hanging over me. I was painfully depressed and isolated from a world that made me feel anxious and fearful. I was unemployable and had almost no friends. During one two-year period, I had been hospitalized nine times for suicidal ideations due to improperly
Medicare Part D helps cover prescription costs, and allows for freemarket medical research to be conducted to better medications, create new ones, and has even been shown to keep drug prices down.
treated mental illness. With proper medication, I haven’t had to be hospitalized since 2003. I am employed, have friends, laugh, sing and enjoy my life fully.
Statistically speaking, not only does the Medicare Part D help cover prescription costs, but it also allows for free-market medical research to be conducted to better medications, create new ones, and has even been shown to keep drug prices down. As someone who relies on medication to function, I want to know that I and my friends are getting access to the best medications available for the best prices.
It’s time for every American citizen to be proactive before it is too late. With so much legislation floating around that nobody can agree on, let’s acknowledge what’s working, and be a part of sustaining it. It’s a win for all parties. We need to let our legislators know that Medicare Part D is vital for the mentally ill, disabled and seniors. Let’s tell them we need to keep Medicare Part D as is.