Oklahoman Editorial and Mandates

In today's issue of the Daily Oklahoman , the editorial board published an opinion related to health insurance premiums and the impact of mandates on the cost of coverage. In the late '90's, our state passed a very important mandate: parity coverage for mental illness. The bill that authorized the coverage (SB 2) is far from perfect; it exempts too many businesses from offering parity and does not include treatment for addiction. However, for many in our state, this mandated coverage has made a tremendous impact through early identification and treatment of mental illness, continued employment for those experiencing psychiatric illness, and preserved family relationships.

I predict that mandates will receive great attention from legislators in 2007. Without question, Oklahomans need health insurance to be affordable and accessible and it is only fair that the reasons for premium increases be investigated thoroughly. However, as part of that evaluation, we must remind policy makers that for people experiencing mental illness, anything short of parity is discriminatory and wrong.