Mental health advocates and government experts are arguing some health insurers' decision not to cover medical costs related to suicide violates HIPAA, according to a Kaiser Health News report.
Insurers can deny coverage through "source-of-injury" exclusions. For instance, a health plan that generally covers broken bones could opt not to cover the cost of those injuries if they're sustained during a risky activity such as sky diving. Some health insurance companies apply a source-of-injury exclusion to self-inflicted wounds, including those that can result from an attempted suicide, according to the report.
However, advocates and experts say this violates HIPAA, which prohibits employment-based health plans from denying coverage or charging someone more because of medical conditions such as bipolar disorder or depression. In an email to Kaiser Health News, a Department of Labor representative wrote source-of-injury exclusions can't be applied even if the mental health condition wasn't diagnosed before the suicide attempt.
About 38,000 people commit suicide annually, and more than 90 percent of those who die by suicide have a mental health condition, according to the National Institute of Mental Health and the Center for Mental Health Law, respectively.
Susan Pisano, a spokesperson for America's Health Insurance Plans, told Kaiser the issue hasn't been a point of concern for insurers. "It's not something we've been hearing about," she said.
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