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The headline "Managed Care Makes Parity Affordable, NAMI Study Shows" is somewhat misleading. What the NAMI study shows is that for all types of plans, parity is affordable. In a "heavily managed plan," the dollar amount of the premium spent on the treatment of mental illness is inadequate. However, based on the data presented in the article, the percentage of the premium spent on mental illness treatment when that benefit is not managed is hardly an outrageous amount of money when one considers the prevalence of mental illness and substance abuse.
The fact is, the portion of the health care dollar required to provide an adequate level of care for the mentally ill and substance abusing is such a small part of the total cost of health care that the debate over cost was and is the persistent stigma against those who are mentally ill.
Lawrence Y. Kline, M.D.
Chair
APA Council on Economic Affairs