Not all the fighting over health care stems from President Obama's reform plan. Seems there's a quieter battle brewing over the mental health parity law his predecessor George W. Bush signed back in 2008, and that the current administration is now trying to enforce.
What makes this interesting is that this pending skirmish could very well provide a peek into future fights as the feds try to sort through the current reform legislation. Now while most insurers and employers alike supported the law two years ago, they find themselves similarly allied against the current interpretation of that law.
They argue the Obama administration goes too far in its attempt to regulate "nonquantitative treatment limits," techniques insurers use to manage care, select providers and set rates. The carriers contend the law is meant to guarantee parity in patient benefits not provider reimbursement. Mental health advocates, though, counter that carriers are simply trying to skirt the law with lesser reimbursements and additional care criteria.
No matter which way you fall on this admittedly technical issue, the point is that this little squabble is just a small-scale version of what we face over the next few years. If you think this is bad, wait until you see the backlash that erupts once Secretary Sebelius tries to establish something as simple as the definition of a pre-existing condition. It's one thing to pass a law, but it's quite another to interpret and implement it.
On a more personal note, I returned from our show in D.C. to some rather sobering news. Michael "Mickey" McNamara served as a member of the Texas Association of Health Underwriters, in the Houston chapter, for roughly 20 years. According to local news reports, on April 21, a would-be robber - toting a baseball bat - entered the McNamara Insurance Agency, demanding money. The man assaulted receptionist Joyce Cross, giving her a concussion and a broken arm, among other injuries. The man then turned on the 76-year-old McNamara, beating him to death.
Apparently, his death came just before the local association was set to honor him at their monthly luncheon. "Mr. McNamara was an awesome man not only in the Orange, Texas, community, but also in our industry," the broker who alerted me to this story wrote. "I understand we lose precious people every day, but not like this."
It's worth noting, though, that within days, police captured Joseph Edward Roberts Jr., 21, whom police say has already confessed to the crime. The judge set his bond at $1 million while he awaits his capital murder trial.
