It all started with me when I was sixteen or seventeen. I remember being sick the night before and not getting better until two months had passed. Though I was over the initial reason that made me sick I found myself with a new problem. I found myself feeling fear and rushes of adrenaline going through my body. I did not realize until years later that I was having a panic attack. This was merely the beginning of an anxiety disorder that I deal with even now. Back then I had just been through a car accident and was seeing a neurologist thanks to the insurance of the vehicle’s owner. When I told the neurologist that I had these panicky feelings he prescribed a drug called Buspar, which basically allowed me to overcome my anxiety within a few weeks or so. While the drug is supposed to take up to four weeks to work, I think I helped myself by believing it was working right away. I basically went through a placebo effect.

My anxiety did not come back in a major way until 2002. And that was because of a medical test that I became worried, obsessed, and panicked about. When the results came back all right I did not calm down right away. The panic remained for a few days. I was fortunate to be working for a company that had good medical coverage, which also covered behavioral health. So I went to a psychotherapist who helped me work through my panic disorder without any need for medication. With the help of the therapist I learned that many of my fears concerning health came from watching my father collapse and eventually die from a massive heart attack when I was fourteen years old.

I saw the psychotherapist for about seven more months and felt that it was time to stop and move on. So that was the end, or so I thought. About a year later out of nowhere I started to have obsessive thoughts that resulted in me having the panic attacks again. This time it was different it was not even about health issues. People have panic attacks in different ways. Some get the sweaty palms or feel dizzy; with me it was adrenaline and a feeling of fear. The thoughts made me feel guilty and scared and I did not know what happened. Fortunately I still had coverage for behavioral health through the same job and went back to the therapist who told me that she often had patients who returned after something happened. This time I tried to work through the panicky feelings and obsessive thoughts but it did not work that well. I actually ended up in the emergency room once. The therapist felt that this time that I might need the help of medication and so I went on a drug called Paxil. I got that medication first from my medical doctor then from a psychiatrist but it was all thanks to having coverage.

I had regular medical coverage, vision, dental, behavioral health coverage, and prescription drug coverage through my job. At that time it was extremely important to me. Thanks to having these resources available I was able to recover again and keep my anxiety disorder under control. I feel that we need an affordable health care system for everyone to be able to have those things I’ve mentioned. I’m not working and do not have health coverage right now. I pay for the Paxil and the visits with my therapist and psychiatrist out of pocket and with a generous understanding from both of them that lets me pay them little by little.

Everyone from the poor to the middle class should have access to affordable or free medical and mental health coverage through the state or the federal government. Prescription drugs should be factored into the equation as well.

The Wellstone Act

The late Senator Paul Wellstone collaborated with Senator Domenici on this bill after seeing members of their families suffer with mental illness. They worked together for a decade to have this act as the result.

Their realization was that insurance companies treat physical health differently than they would treat mental health. This ends with those suffering from mental illnesses having to pay out of pocket a lot of the time or have the diseases go untreated. In 1992 they introduced the Mental Health Parity Act, which was eventually signed by President Bill Clinton in a weakened version in 1996. The Senators while happy with the passage were unhappy that companies could push costs off onto employees with higher co-payments and deductibles.

After this the Senators tried to pass legislation that would apply full parity to the treatment of the mental illnesses. Their new bill passed both houses of congress in 2001 but was destroyed in a conference committee. The result was a renewal of the 1996 act. In 2002 they reintroduced the bill only to see it stalled and it resulting in another renewal of the “96” act.

After Senator Wellstone died along with his wife, daughter, three staff members, and two pilots the bill was renamed The Paul Wellstone Equitable Treatment Act. The bill has 69 cosponsors in the Senate and 245 in the house. Even the President has given his support to the bill and said he would sign it. Although that remains to be seen if he would actually do it.

The bill however is still held up in the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. This is thanks to the committee chair Senator Judd Gregg and the Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. It is a shame and an outrage that it has taken this long due to Senators beating around the bush. Maybe Harry Reid should force the senate into private session on this too.

The people deserve affordable health coverage. And at their jobs they deserve health insurance that will treat mental and physical ailments the same.

Put pressure on your Senators to pass this act! Tell the insurance companies that they can’t block this legislation forever.