Opinion | Denial of Mental Healthcare: 'Your Therapist Will See You Now or Will They?'

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'The denial of timely mental health care is immoral and unethical and it's the reason why therapists employed by Kaiser are on strike in Northern California and Hawai'i.'

Denial of Mental Healthcare: 'Your Therapist Will See You Now or Will They?'

The denial of timely mental health care is immoral and unethical and it's the reason why therapists employed by Kaiser are on strike in Northern California and Hawai'i.Can you imagine breaking your arm and your doctor saying,"I think we can squeeze you in—in a month or two." Unimaginable. Now, close your eyes, picture someone close to you, a friend or family member, maybe even you, feeling deeply depressed or having a high level of anxiety, even a suicidal thought.

The delay of mental health care shouldn't be acceptable. It's a gross disservice to those who paid for it. The denial of timely mental health care is immoral and unethical and it's the reason why therapists employed by Kaiser are on strike in Northern California and Hawai'i. In California, more than 2,000 members of the National Union of Healthcare Workers , have been on strike since August 15. This strike, by Kaiser Permanente therapists, psychologists, social workers and chemical dependency counselors, isn't about wages and benefits. Those issues were settled before the strike began. NUHW members want Kaiser to wake up and confront the mental health crisis that has taken hold in their communities and is surging across the nation.

"If we want to be a society that truly respects and values mental health," said Oliver,"we have to respect and value mental health care, and that means supporting the people who deliver it." Many insurance companies and healthcare providers across the country routinely violate federal and state parity rules. In the case of Kaiser, the record of delays and denials of mental health care to subscribers predates the pandemic.

 

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