Mental Health Insurance

Despite public awareness campaigns highlighting the issues
facing people with mental health problems and the fact that
no one is immune to developing a mental illness, people
with mental health problems are still facing unfair
discrimination, prejudice and stigma every day of their
lives, not just from members of the public but also from
businesses, banks, employers and even when it comes to
taking out an insurance policy.

The truth is, any one of us can develop a mental illness,
regardless of our age, gender, location, occupation or
social status. Actually, the statistics show that at least
one in four of us will experience some kind of mental
health problem in the space of any one year. Mental health
problems can be hugely diverse in nature and can range from
mild cases of depression and anxiety to more serious cases
of bipolar depression and schizophrenia with the types of
symptoms and the degree of intensity of these symptoms
varying from person to person. However, there are problems
to face in the outside world too.

Possibly one of the most distressing aspects of mental
illness is the isolation and social exclusion often
experienced by the sufferer purely as a result of ignorance
and misunderstanding on the part of other people and it is
this that needs to change. If we consider insurance for
example, something that most people take for granted, but
not if you have had a mental illness in the past or are
suffering from a mental health problem at the moment.

The findings of a major report on discrimination against
the mentally ill showed that Insurance companies will often
deny insurance or place exemptions on an insurance policy
when there is a history of mental health problems, even if
those problems existed many years ago and are no longer an
issue. This applies to any type of insurance and not just
life insurance either, travel insurance, mortgage
insurance, employment insurance, payment protection
insurance, all become more difficult to obtain if you have
a mental health problem or a history of mental illness.

This would appear to suggest that insurance companies as
well as many others still do not understand the issues or
the facts surrounding mental illness or the information
just isn't getting through. For example, mental health
problems can occur as an isolated case in relation to a
specific set of circumstances and once treated, will never
happen again, some types of mental illness are episodic in
nature, and most people who seek help for mental health
problems do go on to lead full and normal lives. Probably
the most important point is that just because someone is
suffering from a mental health problem doesn't
automatically mean they pose a greater risk than anyone
else. Insurance companies calculate their insurance
premiums on the level of perceived risk, which is
supposedly based on medical evidence. Perhaps this is the
area that needs to be addressed.

So what can you do about it? Certainly, if there is a case
of unfair discrimination then it is possible to sue under
the Disability Discrimination Act but according to Mind,
the leading UK charity for mental health, only a small
number of cases are taken out under this Act and of these,
few are ever successful. Similarly, the Citizen's Advice
Bureau (CAB) report that most claims against payment
protection insurance fail when mental illness is involved
as it is a common exclusion in many insurance policies.

It isn't all doom and gloom though, people do seem to be
waking up to the fact that something has gone wrong
somewhere and that people with mental illness deserve to
have the same rights as anyone else. Over in the USA for
example, a study by the Mental Health America Association
found that the majority of Americans believe that people
with mental health problems should no longer be subjected
to discrimination by health insurance companies. In fact,
some 96% of Americans believe that health insurance should
also cover mental health. Here in the UK the government are
aware of the issues surrounding mental health and exclusion
and are tightening up legislation to protect people from
unfair discrimination.

In the meantime, we would all do well to remember that
mental health problems are not only common, they are
treatable, and can affect any one of us at any time. Until
we insist that people with mental health problems receive
the same rights in society as everyone else, the problem
with insurance will persist.

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Depression and anxiety are serious mental health conditions
that can strike anyone at anytime. For more information
about depression and selp help come and visit
http://www.fightingdepression.co.uk