MHLAC: Legal advocates for people’s mental health issues

Here are two success stories:

Susan Fendell of Mental Health Legal Advisors successfully represented a woman who sees a therapist several times each week for substantial mental health care needs. The woman’s new health plan was not covering her therapist as her old health plan did because her therapist is not in the new plan's provider network. Attorney Fendell successfully intervened and the new health plan is now covering the woman’s therapy sessions.

Susan Fendell also closed the case of a man needing a prescription medication to treat his chronic mental health needs. The health plan denied coverage for the medication prescribed by his psychiatrist, wanting him to use a generic medicine to which he had had a bad reaction. Attorney Fendell advised the man on the health plan's prior authorization process and now he is receiving coverage for his medication of choice.

Thanks to Susan for providing these stories. If you live in Massachusetts, you can get free legal assistance on mental health legal matters from Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee; call MHLAC Intake at 617-338-2345 x120 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. You can also email them at intake@mhlac.org

Read the chapter of mental health stories in Ken Farbstein's book, Getting Your Best Health Care: Real-World Stories for Patient Empowerment.

The alternative was to have no insurance: Betting on good health

Carl Arrington, 58, is a free-lance writer and chef in New York. When his company closed shop nine years ago, at first he chose to pay for extended coverage under COBRA. But the high premiums forced him into a difficult decision: he dropped the insurance.

"The alternative was to have no insurance, which was so scary in the beginning," he said. "And then I decided, look, when you have insurance you're betting that you're going to get sick."

He decided to change his lifestyle. He stopped eating meat, and cut excess sugar from his diet. He began to exercise, eventually losing 40 pounds.

He still sees his physician annually for checkups, but he avoids screening tests like colonoscopies. If doctors discovered something that needed further treatment, he said, he probably could not afford it anyway.

"I am in control of my health, and I'm not afraid of dying. What more do you need?" he asks.

Advice: Stay healthy – and work for universal health insurance.

Read another story about a limitation of the COBRA safety net.

Thanks to Karen Barrow for the source article in the New York Times of Nov. 4, and to Alex di Suvero.

This IS a happy new year!: Access to healthcare

More than 40 million Americans lack health insurance, and so get little preventive medical care. Massachusetts has begun an exciting new program to cover the uninsured. The program, after only three months, already has enrolled 29,000 uninsured Massachusetts residents who earn less than the federal poverty level. Read more about the coming health care for all coverage in Massachusetts.

Congratulations to Jon Kingsdale, the head of the Connector Board that runs the new programs, and John McDonough, one of the key members of the broad coalition that vigorously promoted the new state law!

Advice to Massachusetts residents: Forward this message to someone who may lack health insurance.