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Mental Health Act Article
Calls for Reforms in the Mental Health Act
from: BJ BelmontThe Mental Health Act of 1996, also known as the Mental Health Parity Act was created to help address the need for a more patient friendly mental health care system in the United States. This Mental Health Act basically takes into consideration the problems that many Americans face when it comes to paying for their mental health care needs and this act was specifically designed to eliminate some of the limits that certain insurance companies and government health care programs seem to have.
The Mental Health Act that was passed by Congress is, however, not in use in the whole of the United States with a certain number of states not recognizing the act. The total number of states that decided not to enact the Mental Health Act within their borders is 18, with 33 states using the act to help patients in their area. This has prompted the call for a reform of the act, not just to make it a nationwide act, but also to help cover certain areas that need to be addressed.
The Mental Health Act of 1996 has quite a few detractors, both for its entirety and for the lack of some coverage for certain mental health issues. Those who are against the whole act argue that it is an added expense to both the government and the private companies that carry mental health insurance or have policies that also cover mental health issues. Those who are supporters of the act also have complaints that the Mental Health Act that Congress passed in 1996 lacks a few key points, like coverage for children who are afflicted by certain mental disorders and full coverage of all possible mental issues that people may experience.
The people behind the creation of a National Mental Health Act basically want the kind of mental health care that is available to those who are able to afford it be given to those people who do not have the kind of money it takes to get the kind of mental health care that is needed. The differences in the Mental Health Act guidelines of the different states of the US makes these people want a change exacted to help the people of the nation get the kind of mental health care they need. 360 organizations back the Mental Health Act of 1996 and wish to have it revised to eliminate the discrimination of the act against children and to include any and all kinds of mental disorders. To date, the act still remains as it was in 1996 and proponents for change vow to continue with their cause until such a change is realized.