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WASHINGTON -- In rural states, older residents often have a hard time finding care for mental health problems. Wyoming, for instance, has 200 square miles for every Medicare provider eligible to treat mental illness.
Sen. Craig Thomas, R-Wyo., wants to improve that ratio. He has sponsored legislation that would bring marriage and family therapists and licensed counselors into the health insurance program. As a result, Wyoming's elderly and disabled would have access to 1,063 mental health professionals instead of 474.
But the proposal has drawn strong opposition from the American Psychiatric Association, which says it would waste government money. The inclusion of the new providers would increase spending for marriage counseling or family troubles without improving care for more serious problems like schizophrenia, the group contends.
"These are the wrong services to cover at the wrong time. There's a huge resource issue," said Tom Leibfried, the association's lobbyist. "Congress is finding it hard to provide new money for services, and the first thing to fund would not be these."
Thomas' proposal became an amendment to legislation designed to cut federal spending by $36 billion over 10 years. The legislation passed the Senate last week, but it would have to survive negotiations with the House before being sent to President Bush.
Many states prohibit professionals with a Masters'-level education from diagnosing and treating serious mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, Leibfried said.
This man needs to be exiled from the Republican party. What a disgrace.
The culture of entitlement is completely out of control if petty marraige counseling for people too dumb to solve their own problems is now essential "health care" paid for by bloated social programs.
WASHINGTON -- In rural states, older residents often have a hard time finding care for mental health problems. Wyoming, for instance, has 200 square miles for every Medicare provider eligible to treat mental illness.
Sen. Craig Thomas, R-Wyo., wants to improve that ratio. He has sponsored legislation that would bring marriage and family therapists and licensed counselors into the health insurance program. As a result, Wyoming's elderly and disabled would have access to 1,063 mental health professionals instead of 474.
But the proposal has drawn strong opposition from the American Psychiatric Association, which says it would waste government money. The inclusion of the new providers would increase spending for marriage counseling or family troubles without improving care for more serious problems like schizophrenia, the group contends.
"These are the wrong services to cover at the wrong time. There's a huge resource issue," said Tom Leibfried, the association's lobbyist. "Congress is finding it hard to provide new money for services, and the first thing to fund would not be these."
Thomas' proposal became an amendment to legislation designed to cut federal spending by $36 billion over 10 years. The legislation passed the Senate last week, but it would have to survive negotiations with the House before being sent to President Bush.
Many states prohibit professionals with a Masters'-level education from diagnosing and treating serious mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, Leibfried said.
This man needs to be exiled from the Republican party. What a disgrace.
The culture of entitlement is completely out of control if petty marraige counseling for people too dumb to solve their own problems is now essential "health care" paid for by bloated social programs.
