One of the preventive benefits that ACA covers is the idea of controlling weight—obesity. Some insurance companies have helped obese patients fight fat for years. They’ve offered weight-loss and wellness programs at businesses, schools and in communities. Some have paid for prescription obesity medications and even covered expensive bariatric surgeries, including gastric bypass. But now, most insurance plans are required to help obese patients try to lose weight under former president Obama’s health care law. Exactly how they do it is up to the individual plans. Screening and counseling for obesity has to be covered with no patient cost-sharing (co-payments, co-insurance or deductibles) by most insurers, under the preventive services benefit of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), says Susan Pisano, a spokeswoman for America’s Health Insurance Plans, the national trade association for the health insurance industry. Mental illness is also an issue that needs further attention. Initial detection of mental disorders should be covered under ACA’s basic health screening. According Gapminder (2013), United States (US) spends more per capita (GDP) in relation to its mental health of suicide per 100,000 people. These numbers proved to be more than other industrialized countries like Netherlands, Portugal, Italy, Greece, and including Brazil, Jordan, etc. Chan (2011) also identified detailed state by state percentage of population who had suffered mental illnesses. The detailed lists showed Rhode Island, Utah, Idaho, West Virginia and Indiana with higher rate of mental health issues. States like Maryland, Pennsylvania, North Dakota, Florida, and Illinois experienced lesser forms of mental illness. Likewise, the report defined mental health issues as any social, mental and expressive syndrome that is identifiable from the DSM-IV
Chan, A. (2011). America’s Mental Health, State by State. Huff Post Healthy Living. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/13/mental-health-states-america_n_1007844.html
Gapminder. (2013). Gapminder world offline. Retrieved from http://www.gapminder.org/world-offline/
Nanci, H., @nancihellmich, & USA, T. (n.d). Obamacare takes on obesity. USA Today.
