Democrat legislators resume call for insurance coverage of mental illness

As state legislators return to work today, democrats will resume their push for a bill that would force insurance companies to cover treatment for mental illnesses and substance abuse. A House committee recently approved a bill that would force insurers to cover “biologically-based” mental illnesses, but House Democrat Leader Pat Murphy of Dubuque says that doesn’t go far enough. “In politics we talk about getting a half a loaf versus a full loaf,” Murphy says. “I think this is maybe one or two slices of bread out of the whole loaf.” Representative Mark Smith, a democrat from Marshalltown, agrees that the bill is too limited. Smith says 30 percent of psychotic disorders are not considered “biologically-based.” Senate Co-Leader Michael Gronstal, a democrat from Council Bluffs, says “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder” isn’t a “biologically-based” mental illness, either. “People coming back from Iraq or Afghanistan, there’s a pretty good example of folks (who) can be treated and be reintegrated back in their communities and lead long and productive lives,” Gronstal says. “Or we walk walk away from them and let them become the homeless.” Eating disorders like bulimia and anorexia that strike many young girls wouldn’t be covered by the legislation, and Smith, who is a social worker, says that would be a shame since 25 percent of the young girls who’re diagnosed with an eating disorder end up dying of it. “We are believers that if we can help children achieve a greater state of wellness in childhood, we have a greater chance that they’re going to be healthy adults,” Smith says. But backers of the limited bill say loading up the bill with all those requirements will drive up health care premiums even more. Representative Danny Carroll, a republican from Grinnell who is the bill’s floor manager, says “you can go too far and end up doing more harm than good.”