Mental Health Parity

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1. The term "Mental Health Parity" in terms of health insurance coverage has been used frequently regarding access to care for those with Mental Illness (MI). What do you understand by the term and how would you describe its impact on those with MI and family or partners? Answer in 2 - 3 paragraphs with supporting documentation. The Mental Health Parity Act was signed into law by President Clinton on September 26, 1996 and was amended by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010. These pieces of legislation were designed to place mental health illness and services on the same par as medical/surgical services. Despite these very needed pieces of legislation discrimination …show more content…

After watching the two videos regarding Mental Health ("Failed Mental Health Policy" and "Doing More for Mental Health") - how do you see the role of nursing impacting this population from the policy level to individual caring? Answer in 2 - 3 paragraphs with support. I had the opportunity to manage two adolescent psychiatric units for over two years. This was an eye opening experience for me. The facility was in Austin Texas, and during my tenure over one hundred adolescent patients were admitted to my units. During that time frame only a few patients were from Texas. The reason I learned for such a low percentage of patients from Texas was due with the states lack of funding for mental health care. Texas ranks 49th in the nation in spending in the nation for the amount it spends per person for mental health care. Inadequate state funding puts the burden on local resources, and leads to increased rates of incarceration and higher use of public hospital emergency rooms, homeless shelters, and the foster care system. On the other hand Texas has the most incarcerated persons in the nation 160,295 in total as of 2013. Many of which could have benefited from early mental health services and possible could have possibly avoided

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