April 16, 1999

I have read with interest over the past couple of years the articles in Psychiatric News regarding the court battles over discriminatory disability insurance. One article reported that Kmart was in violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act when it offered to its employees a discriminatory policy granting benefits to age 65 for medical or surgical disability, but capping its benefits at 24 months for all psychiatric illnesses.

I find it ironic that our own APA-sponsored AMA disability insurance, to which I and many other APA members subscribe, is a discriminatory policy with exactly this same limitation. While APA is not in violation of any laws, as Kmart was, I expect better of APA since we are leading the fight toward parity. If it is true that nondiscriminatory policies would raise premiums by only a few dollars, as Psychiatric News has reported in the past, I should be happy to pay that increase.

While I support APA's continued efforts through lobbying and through its litigation fund to end discrimination in disability insurance policies, perhaps we should clean up our own house first. I am reminded of the adage, "People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones."

Tom Giduz, M.D.
Chapel Hill, N.C.

Editor's Note: The following response was provided by Psychiatrists' Benefit Corporation, which was established by APA for oversight of APA-sponsored disability, life, and medical insurance programs. Psychiatrists' Benefit Corporation has not been active since 1997.

APA does not currently sponsor any disability insurance program. Dr. Giduz's letter refers to a program sponsored by the American Medical Association. APA has not sponsored a disability insurance program since early 1997. For many years prior to that time, APA sponsored a program that provided parity of benefits for disabilities arising from mental illness and/or substance abuse. When it was time to renew this APA-sponsored disability insurance program in February 1997, however, no carrier was willing to continue offering parity of benefits at any price. Consequently, the APA Board of Trustees terminated the APA-sponsored program at that time.

Alan I. Levenson, M.D.
Chair
Board of Directors
Psychiatrists' Benefit Corporation