Jokes, but no answer on PTSD coverage
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- June
- 12
  First there was silence, then a couple jokes and a few seconds during which Gov. David Paterson put his head in his hands, but there was no response this afternoon to a question on whether lawmakers would pass a bill to expand mental-health parity, and if the governor would sign it. When asked again, they were still silent. Paterson and legislative leaders were holding a news conference about priorities for the end of the session. Â
  Advocates for people with mental illness want post-traumatic stress disorder added to a list of biological disorders that are required to be covered by health insurance. PTSD is a type of anxiety disorder that develops after someone has been through a terrifying ordeal that involves physical harm or the threat of physical harm. It can occur as a result of military combat, rape, mugging, kidnapping, a natural disaster, a car accident and other events.Â
  Paterson, who became governor in March after Eliot Spitzer resigned suddenly, joked that he “already has it.â€Â   Â
  PTSD was left off the list of diseases that are covered by Timothy’s Law, which passed in 2006 and took effect last year. It mandates that larger employers provide unlimited treatment for adults with schizophrenia, major depression, panic disorder and several other biologically based mental illnesses, and additional coverage for children.Â
  The health-insurance industry opposes the amendment.
  Timothy’s Law is named for Timothy O’Clair, who took his own life in 2001 at age 12. His parents had given up custody of him to the state because their insurance would not pay for the care he needed.Â
This entry was posted
on Thursday, June 12th, 2008 at 7:22 pm by Cara Matthews.
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