Letter to the Editor: Lyons on Rape Counseling
The following was submitted by Grace McDaniel.
To the editor,
As a young woman in college, I have seen first-hand how much emphasis is placed on students being safe. One of the most important topics has indisputably been on responsible sexual behavior, and how to protect yourself from sexual violence. Should anyone on campus be the victim of a sex crime - including rape or attempted rape - students are encouraged not to suffer silently, but to instead seek out help. This is because rape is not just a physical attack - it is an attack on one's mind and spirit.
Why am I writing a letter about rape? Because I am incredibly disgusted by legislation written by State Representative Jim Lyons. The bill I'm talking about, House Bill 3353, would repeal section 47B of Chapter 175 of our state law - the law requiring insurers to cover rape victims' mental and social disorders.
Mental illness is no different than a physical illness. And the scars left from rape on one's mind and spirit are as real as the scars left on one's body. We as a society should be creating a strong support structure for these victims, and we certainly shouldn't be weakening what already exists as support.
Supporting rape victims is one issue that Democrats and Republicans can agree upon. If denying services to rape victims is on Jim Lyons list of priorities, then I think Democrats and Republicans can also agree that it is time for Jim Lyons to go.
Grace McDaniel
salemst
8:57 am on Monday, October 22, 2012
This is a fabricated issue--L'Italien political warfare.
Lyons' legislation is about revamping healthcare mandates starting from scratch as to what is and isn't mandated. Then re-mandating.
Lyons is not working to eliminate rape law and there's no chance rape victims won't be covered.
Bryan McGonigle2
9:23 am on Monday, October 22, 2012
Grace McDaniel should be ashamed of herself in trying mislead voters. I would guess that this is one of the reasons her candidate was booted out in the last election. It takes real "talent" for an incumbent Democrat to lose re-election without the benefit of a personal scandal - take John Tierney, please.
The bill: http://www.malegislature.gov/Bills/187/House/H03353
This bill is about health insurance mandates. The bill proposes the repeal of many sections of mass lass . Its misleading to highlight just one of them and draw unreasonable conclusions.
I'm not familiar with this bill but by attempting to address serious issues - like over regulation in health insurance - is a great reason to support Rep. Lyons. Not misleading voters is another.
Alix Randolph
10:02 am on Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Mike you obviously didn't read the full text of the bill. It is a point in the bill. It makes sure, among other things, that funding for insurance coverage for counseling for rape and sexual assault victims, is stripped away. You should be ashamed of yourself for ignoring the facts because you like Lyons. It might not make you happy to know that Jim Lyons would do something like this, but it is a fact. Jim Lyons wrote the bill.
Bill Kelly
12:43 pm on Monday, October 22, 2012
Mike, I disagree she is trying to mislead people. Looks like the bill will repeal many if not all mandates that health insurance companies are required to cover. I have not read the original laws which Rep Lyons refers to for repeal but suffice to say one of them is that Insurance companies pay for counseling for rape victims. Now why this coverage would have to have been mandated to begin with is beyond me. But suffice to say that if the bill would pass all these mandates would have to be vetted all over again by the legislature. I know that some of these mandates are for in-vitro fertilzation for couples seeking to have children, I'm sure many others have a direct impact on people's health and well being and were not just willy nilly passed by the Legislature. But feel free to come up with some of them if you think they are frivolous.
Bryan McGonigle2
1:37 pm on Monday, October 22, 2012
At best, she's cherry picking the bill ...
Instead of looking at the forest, she decided to look at one tree (health insurance mental health benefit requirements) and within that tree look at a branch (mental health benefit requirements of rape victims).
Why not talk about the real intent of the Bill - and then agree/disagree with the intent or whether the bill would result in its intentions? Instead, we get sensationalism - which in my view is misleading.
Bill Kelly
4:38 pm on Monday, October 22, 2012
What is the real intent of the bill? Seems to me it is to eliminate all mandated coverages? Who is supposed to benfit from that? The insurance companies?
Bryan McGonigle2
5:08 pm on Monday, October 22, 2012
If that's the intent (and I don't think the intent is that simple), it will benefit many of us in the short term and most of us in the long term.
In many cases (the ones where the mandated coverages are relatively inexpensive), It would be similar to a higher deductible insurance where we "self-insure" for lower cost items but are insured for high cost items.
Bill Kelly
6:49 pm on Monday, October 22, 2012
Mike,
It is that simple, why don't you guys just man up and present and defend the bill for what it is instead of tap dancing around on the intent of the bill. This bill if passed will cut the requirement that insurance companies pay for counseling to rape victims, it is what it is. I have only looked at a few of the other current mandates but another one is for coverage for autistic children. So tell rape victims and parents of autistic kids that "many of us" (not them of course) will benefit if this bill is passed.
jelun
10:23 pm on Monday, October 22, 2012
I am glad this has been brought forward. I will have to ask my rep where she stands on this.
Bill Callahan
8:26 am on Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Rep. Lyon's bill is worse if you read the entire text. Here are some of the other mental health conditions which insurance companies would not have to cover if it was successful: schizophrenia; major depressive disorder; bipolar disorder; paranoia and other psychotic disorders; post traumatic stress disorder; autism.
Insurance companies need to be regulated for a very important reason: They take money from their customers year after year for the promise that they will take care of them when needed. For families, a policy costs about $15k per year. They might pay that amount for 20 years using little more than physicals and routine procedures. People do not know what health ailments could crop up. So regulation is needed to spell out what the coverage needs to include. And insurers price that into the coverage.
I have friends who've had major depressive disorders. Without insurance coverage, how is a family supposed to help someone suffering from this debilitating disease? What is the cost to society (and the almighty "TAXPAYER") if this person is left untreated or seeks treatments in the emergency room when in the midst of an episode?
There is no debate about mental illness being illness, except in Rep. Lyon's mind. Makes one wonder what else is going on in there (or not).
Bryan McGonigle2
9:18 am on Tuesday, October 23, 2012
I don't speak for Rep. Lyons but I personally don't want the state to mandate what insurance companies must include or can't include in health insurance policies. It's a freedom issue.
I'm not sure what the statistics are now but at one time Massachusetts had some of the highest auto insurance rates in the country due to state mandates of what products companies could offer. Many auto insurance companies left the state. I think a few of these mandates have been relaxed but most are still in force and our auto insurance rates aren't low.
For the same reasons, these health insurance mandates increase the cost of health insurance which is wasteful, invites fraud, and stifles innovation. I believe Massachusetts has the highest health insurance rates in the country - certainly one of the highest.
I don't think there's anyone, including Rep, Lyons, that doesn't believe that mental illnesses exist. To argue that is being misleading.
Bill Callahan
9:27 am on Tuesday, October 23, 2012
If he does believe they exist, then why wouldn't he want them covered under health insurance?
Bryan McGonigle2
9:29 am on Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Bill - maybe he agrees with me.
Alix Randolph
9:56 am on Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Here's the bill:
http://www.malegislature.gov/Bills/187/House/H03353
Never say never with Jim Lyons. This man is seriously dangerous. My question is why isn't the press writing about this? Like do they not understand what an incredibly awful piece of legislation Lyons not just supported, but WROTE.
Bryan McGonigle2
10:13 am on Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Dangerous? Let's not exaggerate. Incredibly awful piece of legislation - that would be the Affordable Care Act.
Bill Callahan
9:56 am on Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Yes, both in favor of the freedom of health insurers to take your money and deny you coverage....
Bryan McGonigle2
10:27 am on Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Bill - that would be stealing. I don't think Rep. Lyons wants to make stealing legal. I think you're being misleading. We have laws against stealing.
It would be better if you said a lack of regulation might make it easier for someone to steal your money ... If a health plan doesn't contain mental health coverage for certain mental illnesses, how would that make it easier for them to take your money and deny you coverage? One way is to say your mental condition isn't covered or isn't covered illness A but its uncovered illness B.. But I'm sure in the current law doesn't mandate some mental health conditions. So nothing has conceptually changed when health plans mandates are imposed or relaxed.
salemst
4:22 pm on Tuesday, October 23, 2012
This is just politics as usual from the L'Italien campaign
Lyons is trying to get healthcare costs under control. Doing so means starting from scratch on mandated coverage, and re-mandating. There is no chance rape victims won't be covered.
What about L'Italien instituting the alcohol and meals tax slipping them into the budget in a jacket in a closed conference committee with the House never voting on them as Assistant Ways and Means chairman? Then stating she had to vote for them cause they were in the budget and people were dependent on budget money without explaining her complicity slipping them into the budget?
And voting to raise the sales tax to 6.25% from 5% all during Depressionesque economic times?
How about her accepting a 100K political government crony patronage job in the Treasurer's Office she wasn't qualified for?
The only thing you can say about Ex Representative L'Italien is she inflicted financial pain on her constituents when they were economically hurting the most, then personally benefited taking a cushy government job taking financial advantage of her constituents making them pay for it.
She works together to hurt the taxpayers of her district
Bull Moose
12:06 pm on Wednesday, October 24, 2012
"Lyons is trying to get healthcare costs under control."
Jimmy Lyons cheats on his own taxes to keep them 'under control.
He's a zealot, a cheat, a thief, and a fool. Your kinda guy, eh?
salemst
10:26 pm on Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Lyons' taxes are in order.
Are you trying to tell me I should be more worried about Lyons' taxes than L'Italien raising mine?
Are you that kind of guy?