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Recovery in the News
Editorial
Stop discriminating against
The Times, Trenton
October 19, 2007
A recent letter to the editor criticizes legislation, long overdue, to require insurance companies to provide treatment of their insured clients with alcohol/drug problems at the same level as they provide for those with physical problems ("Let's not pay for others' choices," Oct. 8).
A statement by Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., "No one voluntarily chooses to live the sordid, painful, destructive life of an addict" was discounted by the letter writer with the words: "Every day, people choose to consume (or not to consume) alcohol, illegal drugs and nicotine." This is the type of canard that has contributed to the stigma attached to the disease of addiction, thereby keeping alcohol/drug addicts enmeshed in their disease of denial.
Alcoholics and drug addicts do not choose to keep using the substances that are causing so much misery in their lives. They continue to use the substances because they cannot not do so. That is the very essence of the disease of addiction. Recent scientific studies show that the brain of the addict is different from the brain of other people and that he or she processes alcohol and other drugs differently, setting up that craving for more and more.
Who are these people who are destroying their lives through the use of substances, both legal and illegal? They are people just like you and me -- our family members, friends and neighbors. In fact, a survey commissioned by the National Council on Alcoholism- New Jersey found that alcohol and drug problems affect one in three families in New Jersey. Most alcoholics and drug addicts are employed. And most have private insurance.
But what happens when they seek treatment for their addiction? They are denied treatment completely or their treatment is severely restricted. One study shows that 17 percent of full-time employees were completely covered for hospital treatment of physical diseases, yet only 2 percent could get similar treatment for drug/alcohol problems.
Other restrictions call for limits on the number of counseling sessions covered in a year and/or in a lifetime, higher co- payments and/or larger deductibles. Imagine telling a heart patient that he/she has just so many visits to his or her cardiologist in a year or has a lifetime limit of such visits -- or that he or she may not go into a hospital if needed.
The addicts who are denied treatment coverage frequently turn to publicly funded beds for their treatment, thereby reducing the number of beds available to the indigent and giving a free pass to the insurance carrier. Studies have found that this cost shifting increases costs to federal, state and local governments by as much as 20 percent.
The letter writer charged that the costs of treatment are "enormous." On the contrary, treatment for alcohol/drug addiction can be modest, far more so than treatment in a medical facility for the secondary health problems that develop as a result of untreated addiction. The social costs of substance abuse -- disrupted families, automobile accidents, antisocial behavior, poor job performance, criminal activity -- are incalculable.
Yes, alcoholics and drug addicts do recover and become contributing members of their families and communities again. But they must first be treated with dignity and respect and not dismissed as somehow self-destructive. The first step is providing them treatment. The second step is giving them support as they travel the road of recovery.
Alcoholics Anonymous has been very successful in providing that support and it is, of course, completely free.
Employers, as well as insurers (and some newspaper readers), have resisted extending coverage for substance abuse treatment, citing a belief that many alcoholics and addicts relapse. The stigma attached to this disease cannot be discounted, and it is important to recognize that ad diction is a chronic disease, much like diabetes and hypertension, and that the rate of recovery for addiction is every bit as good as it is for other chronic diseases.
The rally for addiction recovery at Liberty State Park Sept. 15 took place to demonstrate that fact. Fifteen hundred people in recovery showed up to give witness to the fact that alcoholics and drug addicts can get well and can again become upstanding members of their families, churches, workplaces and communities.
It is time that alcohol and drug addiction is pulled into the mainstream of health care and that those suffering from it are offered the treatment they need to recover.
The legislation to require insurance carriers in New Jersey to provide treatment for alcoholics and drug addicts has passed the Senate. It is awaiting action by the Assembly when it comes back in December. If you agree that insurance carriers should not discriminate against alcoholics and drug addicts, contact your Assembly member and urge him or her to support this legislation.
Kay McGrath is chairwoman of the legislative subcommittee of the Governor's Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse.
© 2007 The Times. Used with permission.