Fiscally and Ethically Irresponsible

Psychologist Ronald L. Breazeale wrote an excellent letter to the editor that appears in today's PPH. He writes in part:

This year, the Legislature, to save money, passed a shortsighted law that could have extremely negative consequences for MaineCare clients receiving mental health services from psychologists in private practice.

This law limits to 16 the number of visits that someone with MaineCare can have each year with a psychologist.
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While most clients don't need more than 16 visits in one calendar year, some chronically mental ill patients do. They are often the most at risk and rely on regular visits to their psychologist to help them stay out of the hospital and function in society.

According to the Department of Human Services, the cost savings associated with this law to the state is $104,000 a year. Just a few hospitalizations will eat up those savings, and at what emotional cost to the chronically mentally ill and their loved ones?

This is a law that will send people who could potentially be stable members of society to mental institutions or to the streets and will cost us much more in hospitalization and policing than it will ever save in cutting treatment. This is a stupid and dangerous law.

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