Parity

Parity in health insurance is required. This week Washington announced that Mental Health a/k/a behavioral medicine would be treated the same under Healthcare Reform as physical health issues. That's good but there is still a ways to go for full parity:

• Dental coverage - why do we have such crappy dental coverage? Its not just your teeth needing cavities or replacements but the state of your mouth and tongue and potential tumors or other health issues.
• Eye care - why can I only get my eyes checked every two years by a limited number of providers? The doctors want me to get my eyes checked yearly but the insurance company only covers every two years.
• Oral parity - this is when oral drugs, such as chemotherapy, are covered under the pharmacy benefit but if done as an infusion, which costs a lot more, they are covered under the medical care benefit. A patient could pay $20 for a copay for chemotherapy infusions that costs the insurance company $12,000 but $1000 for their share of an expensive chemotherapy pill.
• Equal coverage for birth control and impotence issues.

We will not have full, equal coverage until all these are covered.