Tucked into the
heartbreaking story by Newsday about a young women’s lack of access to
lifesaving healthcare to treat her addiction (“A daughter lost to heroin,”
Editorial, May 15, 2016) is the fact that Bridgette Kurtzke was diagnosed with
bipolar disorder as a teenager.
A 2014 study by
the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 7.9 million
people had both a mental health disorder and substance use disorder.
Newsday’s
editorial stated that Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has created a task force on opioid
addiction that will propose new legislation. The fact is, we already have
federal legislation; namely, the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act
and the Obama Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Both state that it is
illegal to treat diseases of the brain differently than those of any other part
of the body.
Before
proposing bills, the governor and his task force should know that these laws
aren't being adequately enforced in New York, especially as it relates to
having an adequate network of services. Insurers must provide enrollees with
timely access to a sufficient number of providers included in the benefit
contract.
Andrew Malekoff is
executive director for the nonprofit children’s mental health agency North
Shore Child and Family Guidance Center in Roslyn Heights, NY
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