A recent report has highlighted the fallout of improper health insurance schemes or the complete lack of it, which had a bearing on the mental health of people. Lack of parity in health insurance schemes came across as an overriding reason for the increase in the number of suicide cases.

Obviously, those in the throes of mental health problems refrained from seeking help, if they could ill afford the expense in the absence of health insurance. Supporting this observation, the state-by-state analysis showed that with well-honed treatment facilities and adequate health cover, the suicide rates in such states had dropped considerably.

Tami Mark, senior author of Thomas Healthcare said the report did not conclusively prove that lack of care caused depression or suicide, yet it is a wake up call for action in these deficient areas.

In his study, Mark took federal data on mental health and ranked states on the nature and degree of depression as well as suicide rates. Nearly 17% of Americans are diagnosed with depression yearly and about 30,000 commit suicide, according to government figures.|

The results definitely stress the need for better health insurance policies demanding parity in such issues. According to Health Policy Researcher of Harvard Medical School, Ronald Kessler, numerous differences between states pose a great difficulty in getting the facts right. The problem is magnified due to the possession of guns by many households.

Exclaiming the detailed report, John Holahan, director of the Health Policy Center at the Urban Institute said, “it’s pretty interesting and important because it suggests that having insurance and improving access to care has an impact on mental health and suicide."

Source-Medindia
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