No, this is not a political blog and I have no plans to make it one. In fact, I regularly resist the urge to comment on anything political. However, anyone who thinks that the 2008 Presidential election doesn't matter is mistaken. There are a number of serious issues which threaten the security and stability of this country - the war on terror, immigration, the economy and trade issues, education, crime, the deficit, Social Security, the list goes on...
But if you're reading this blog and you don't care about a single one of those issues, you *should* care about health insurance, and particularly mental health parity. If you live with bipolar disorder, depression, or a host of other illnesses categorized as "mental illness", you need to be very considered about what the next President intends to do (or not do) to address one of the biggest hurdles to receiving the compassionate and effective treatment we need.
Over the coming year, I plan to watch this issue closely as the campaign unfolds, and I intend to blog about what I learn during the process. For starters, I'd recommend health08.org. According to their website, "health08.org is part of a broad effort by the Kaiser Family Foundation to provide a central hub for resources and information about health policy issues in the 2008 election. The site -- operated by Kaiser staff -- provides analysis of policy issues, regular public opinion surveys, daily news updates, video of speeches and debates from the campaign trail, original interviews and resources for journalists covering the election." In particular, the site offers a very informative side-by-side analysis of the stated health care and insurance policies of each of the candidates. Now, if only I could find a similar analysis specifically geared towards mental health care policies. But I'll keep looking.
But if you're reading this blog and you don't care about a single one of those issues, you *should* care about health insurance, and particularly mental health parity. If you live with bipolar disorder, depression, or a host of other illnesses categorized as "mental illness", you need to be very considered about what the next President intends to do (or not do) to address one of the biggest hurdles to receiving the compassionate and effective treatment we need.
Over the coming year, I plan to watch this issue closely as the campaign unfolds, and I intend to blog about what I learn during the process. For starters, I'd recommend health08.org. According to their website, "health08.org is part of a broad effort by the Kaiser Family Foundation to provide a central hub for resources and information about health policy issues in the 2008 election. The site -- operated by Kaiser staff -- provides analysis of policy issues, regular public opinion surveys, daily news updates, video of speeches and debates from the campaign trail, original interviews and resources for journalists covering the election." In particular, the site offers a very informative side-by-side analysis of the stated health care and insurance policies of each of the candidates. Now, if only I could find a similar analysis specifically geared towards mental health care policies. But I'll keep looking.
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