According to the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI), "One in four adults experiences mental illness in a given year. One in 17 − about 13.6 million − live with a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia, major depression or bipolar disorder." With revealing numbers like this, it is clear to see that mental health has become one of the most important health concerns of the past decade. Long considered to be a somewhat taboo subject in much of the world, Asia included, mental health has started to see an emergence as a true concern that needs to be addressed, studied, and treated much like any other illness would.
The problem is, many countries simply are not giving mental health the support required. For example, here in Hong Kong, the SCMP reported last September that, "There are under 200,000 such [patients receiving psychiatric help for a mental illness like depression] in the Hospital Authority (HA) system. According to an official assessment, the average queuing time for a first appointment with a psychiatrist jumped from three to seven weeks between 2000 and 2012." The article went on to note that there are only around 300 psychiatrists working in the public system, which is far short of the recommended number set by the WHO.
Singapore does not fare much better, with resources and statistics from the government being relatively hard to find when compared with other diseases, and a somewhat low number of professionals working in Mental Health with 2.81 healthcare professionals employed per 100,000 people in 2011, according to the WHO (compared to 4.39 per 100,000 in Hong Kong ).
The cost of mental health
The SCMP article linked above highlighted a common issue many countries and cities around the world are facing: The public health sector can not fully cope with the demand for mental health care. To receive the care people need, many are turning to the private health sector. While this sector will usually have much lower wait times, it does come at an increased cost. For example:
- The Hong Kong Society of Psychiatrists notes that, "Fee charges range from about HKD 500 (USD 54) to HKD 2,000 (USD 257) per consultation."
- The Australian Psychological Society states that for a 45-60 minute consultation with a psychologist you will be charged AUD 238 (USD 172).
- The Noble Psychological Wellness Center charges SGD 90 (USD 64) for a 15-minute session.
Add the cost of psychological care and medicine on top of that, and it is clear that mental health care is not cheap. In order to afford the mental health care many need, many will turn to private health insurance. While plans like international health insurance plans will offer strong coverage elements with high limits, there is a caveat you need to be aware of: Some insurers may not cover specific mental illnesses.
Pacific Prime discusses mental health and health insurance
In a recent article which addressed mental health published by the International Travel & Health Insurance Journal (ITIJ), Darren Counsell, Director at Pacific Prime, discussed mental health from an insurance standpoint, as well as what you need to know about when it comes to whether your health insurance covers mental health care.
Some of the important information shared by Counsell included the most valuable piece of information anyone receiving care for mental health needs to know: "While the best insurers offer cover for diagnosed psychiatric conditions, many exclude self-harm, along with alcohol and drug misuse, even if they can be attributed to mental health issues." He also explained that, "In short, many popular international insurance companies do actually cover psychiatric conditions, but often insurers impose low limits and caps for coverage related to treatment of these conditions."
The article itself provides an in-depth look into mental health and health insurance, and is well worth the read - especially if you are looking to learn more about how the two topics are intertwined. By the time this article is published, you should be able to find ITIJ's article on their website.
In order to learn more about whether your health insurance plan covers mental health care, please contact us today.
