Our Health Policy Matters

The shock of sudden violence is so severe it takes your breath away. When it happens in a time and place where it is unexpected, it does more than just remind us that no one is immune to it.  It also reminds us how pervasive it is, how much it affects us all, and how important it is that we do something about it.  In the summer of 1989, I imagined that sudden, random violence was something far removed from my hometown.  But I was about to learn differently. An  article in The Atlantic has just detailed the event, dredging up some quarter century old memories of a day that changed my community’s life. I was running for Mayor of Middletown, Connecticut, at the time, and had reserved a booth at the city’s annual Sidewalk Sale in late July.  I was handing out yardsticks, asking for a vote “for government that measures up to your expectations.” Suddenly, there was a commotion about a block north of where I was standing.  I noticed people...

The shock of sudden violence is so severe it takes your breath away. When it happens in a time and place where it is unexpected, it does more than just remind us that no one is immune to it.  It also reminds us how pervasive it is, how much it affects us all, and how important it is that we do something about it.  In the summer of 1989, I imagined that sudden, random violence was something far removed from my hometown.  But I was about to learn differently. An  article in The Atlantic has just detailed the event, dredging up some quarter century old memories of a day that changed my community’s life. I was running for Mayor of Middletown, Connecticut, at the time, and had reserved a booth at the city’s annual Sidewalk Sale in late July.  I was handing out yardsticks, asking for a vote “for government that measures up to your expectations.” Suddenly, there was a commotion about a block north of where I was standing.  I noticed people...

“In 2011, mental disorders accounted for more hospitalizations of U.S. service members than any other diagnostic category.” – Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center Medical Surveillance Monthly Report, June 2012 Recently, my daughter Elizabeth told me about a friend who stopped in to see her at the mall where she works while attending college.  Like her, he’s in his early twenties.  They worked together at a toy store a few years ago, and she hadn’t seen him since then. He had enlisted in the army.  He was deployed overseas twice, and served a tour in a war zone.  He sustained a minor physical injury, now healed, while serving. She said that he seemed a little down in the dumps when she saw him.  He told her that he is having trouble with his relationships since his return, but doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with him.  He’s pretty sure he doesn’t have PTSD, and sees no reason to seek counseling or other mental health supports. Ins...

“In 2011, mental disorders accounted for more hospitalizations of U.S. service members than any other diagnostic category.” – Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center Medical Surveillance Monthly Report, June 2012 Recently, my daughter Elizabeth told me about a friend who stopped in to see her at the mall where she works while attending college.  Like her, he’s in his early twenties.  They worked together at a toy store a few years ago, and she hadn’t seen him since then. He had enlisted in the army.  He was deployed overseas twice, and served a tour in a war zone.  He sustained a minor physical injury, now healed, while serving. She said that he seemed a little down in the dumps when she saw him.  He told her that he is having trouble with his relationships since his return, but doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with him.  He’s pretty sure he doesn’t have PTSD, and sees no reason to seek counseling or other mental health supports. Ins...

It is worth noting on this “traditional” Memorial Day of May 30 th that over 6,400 service people have lost their lives so far while fighting our two most recent wars. Unless we put more money into health and mental health care, many thousands more will eventually lose their lives fighting the physical and mental effects of these wars. This past weekend, we learned that 45% of returning Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans are seeking compensation for service-related injuries .  The challenge of finding the billions of dollars needed to treat these men and women will test us as a nation.  It will likely stoke the fires of yet another protracted battle about “public option” health care in America. This fight is about to take place because of two reasons. The first is that the percentage of veterans seeking compensation is twice what it was in past wars.  “Invisible” injuries with behavioral manifestations, like PTSD and traumatic brain injury, accou...

It is worth noting on this “traditional” Memorial Day of May 30 th that over 6,400 service people have lost their lives so far while fighting our two most recent wars. Unless we put more money into health and mental health care, many thousands more will eventually lose their lives fighting the physical and mental effects of these wars. This past weekend, we learned that 45% of returning Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans are seeking compensation for service-related injuries .  The challenge of finding the billions of dollars needed to treat these men and women will test us as a nation.  It will likely stoke the fires of yet another protracted battle about “public option” health care in America. This fight is about to take place because of two reasons. The first is that the percentage of veterans seeking compensation is twice what it was in past wars.  “Invisible” injuries with behavioral manifestations, like PTSD and traumatic brain injury, accou...

Nearly 2.1 million veterans received mental health care from the Veterans Administration between 2006 and 2010.   According to a Government Accountability Office report released in October , 1.2 million veterans received mental health treatment in 2010 alone. Almost 30% of the 7.2 million veterans who received treatment from the VA received mental health treatment.  So did 38% of Iraq and Afghanistan (“OEF/OIF”) veterans.  Many more probably needed it.  The GAO report shows how pervasive mental illness is among veterans, and how co-occurring mental illnesses overwhelm both veterans and their service delivery system. Younger veterans and reservists are especially affected. We now have over 22 million living American veterans, but only 4 million served during World War II or the Korean War.  Seven million served during the Vietnam War, and almost 6 million are OEF/OIF veterans.  OEF/OIF veterans accounted for 12% of all those receiving...

Nearly 2.1 million veterans received mental health care from the Veterans Administration between 2006 and 2010.   According to a Government Accountability Office report released in October , 1.2 million veterans received mental health treatment in 2010 alone. Almost 30% of the 7.2 million veterans who received treatment from the VA received mental health treatment.  So did 38% of Iraq and Afghanistan (“OEF/OIF”) veterans.  Many more probably needed it.  The GAO report shows how pervasive mental illness is among veterans, and how co-occurring mental illnesses overwhelm both veterans and their service delivery system. Younger veterans and reservists are especially affected. We now have over 22 million living American veterans, but only 4 million served during World War II or the Korean War.  Seven million served during the Vietnam War, and almost 6 million are OEF/OIF veterans.  OEF/OIF veterans accounted for 12% of all those receiving...

On a sultry June morning in our national’s capital last Friday, I visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial .   Scores of people moved silently along the Wall, viewing the names of the men and women who died in that war.   Some stopped and took pictures.   One group of men about my age surrounded one name for a photo.   Two young women posed in front of another, perhaps a grandfather or great uncle they never got to meet. It is always an incredibly moving experience to visit the Wall.   It treats each of the people it memorializes with respect. There is no rank among those honored.   Officer or enlisted, rich or poor, each is given equal space and weight. It is a form of acknowledgement and respect for which many veterans still fight. Brave Vietnam veterans returned from Southeast Asia to educate our nation about the effects of war and violence. I didn’t know anything about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder when I entered the Connecticut Legislature in the...

On a sultry June morning in our national’s capital last Friday, I visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial .   Scores of people moved silently along the Wall, viewing the names of the men and women who died in that war.   Some stopped and took pictures.   One group of men about my age surrounded one name for a photo.   Two young women posed in front of another, perhaps a grandfather or great uncle they never got to meet. It is always an incredibly moving experience to visit the Wall.   It treats each of the people it memorializes with respect. There is no rank among those honored.   Officer or enlisted, rich or poor, each is given equal space and weight. It is a form of acknowledgement and respect for which many veterans still fight. Brave Vietnam veterans returned from Southeast Asia to educate our nation about the effects of war and violence. I didn’t know anything about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder when I entered the Connecticut Legislature in the...