Monday, July 27, 2009 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 15 Total coverage CHRIS KOSLOWSKI I E-MAIL CHRIS AT CSKOSLOW@UMICH.EDU Irecentlyran into a family friend at a coffee shop. After covering all the important hometown gossip, our dis- cussion turned to the future of health care. As a psychologist, my _ friend expressed concern that ' in all the talk _ about reform- MATTHEW ing the healthG care system, she GREEN hadn't heard of any plans for mental health cover- age. As someone who has seen the positive effect of psychotherapy in people's lives, I was disappointed to find out that insurance providers place inadequate value on it. Later, a Google search suggested that there isn't a provision for universal men- tal health care in the works. In the threefold healthcare plan that President Barack Obama has outlined, "prevention" is the third step in improving the health care paradigm, after insurance reform and technology advancement. But while "prevention" is illustrated rather thoroughly on baracko- bama.com - better nutrition, can- cer screenings, electronic health records, etc. - the plan entirely disregards the nexus between men- tal well-being and physical health. According to the American Psycho- logical Association's website, "50 to 70 percent of visits to primary care physicians are for medical complaints that stem from psycho- logical factors." These factors are primarily depression and anxiety. That figure might sound ridicu- lous. But when you consider that health concerns ranging from blood pressure and ulcers to acne often have a psychological root, those numbers mightnotactually seem so absurd. Patients confuse these mal- adies as purely physiological prob- lems - but these issues are really psychological in nature. Rather than searching for a physical reme- dy, the more prudent decision might be to take a psychological approach. Such a solution might even end up beingcheaper in the long run with- out the costs of exams, medical technology and physical treatment, somethingObama's healthcareplan should consider. Even current private insurers rarely provide adequate coverage for mental health care. Many insur- ance plans cap mental health care much more strictly than physical health maintenance. A comprehen- sive plan for health reform should include coverage for the treat- ment of mental illness and ought to set limits for such treatment on par with limits on physical medi- cal care. In other words, a patient should not have unlimited visits to a physician but only 15 lifetime visits to a mental health professional. And the sad irony is that the least financially fortunate, who are more prone than others to mental illness given their destitution, are often faced with meager or no insurance coverage for mental care. These are people who need comprehensive health care plans the most and are the least able to obtain it. Setting aside socioeconomic dis- parities and psychosomatic condi- tions -both ofwhichareimportant health care realities - there are two additional relevant problems when it comes to psychological affects on physical health: substance abuse and obesity. These problems are widespread in the U.S., and are largely caused by mental vulner- ability. It would seem that in the government's quest to eliminate health costs through "prevention," minimizing obesity and substance abuse should be relatively easy to facilitate through appropriate psy- chological attention. Mental health care is not expendenable. In all the discussion about health care and the government, it seems that mental health care has been ignored by both sides. Maybe it's because psychotherapy is often dif- ficult to understand or believe, or perhaps politicians and pundits are too myopic to think outside the box about health care reform in gen- eral. But as universal health care becomes more and more likely, psy- chological well-being needs to be thrown into the debate. It may be that by remaining vague, Obama was hoping to pro- vide Congress with a basic frame- work upon which the legislature might create a balanced plan that would be more likely to pass into law. NowthatCongressisgoinginto recess during August, all congress- men ought to meticulously deliber- ate on health care reform and take the time to think seriously about mental health care. They'd have to be nuts not to. - Matthew Green can be reached at greenmat@umich.edu. So riddle me this.I took But ifI wantto work out Youw k out? springclassesand fa at the CCRB during enroed in fall classes, right? summer term, I have to pay want to woalittle for a membership ader there pl Okay. What's up with that? Fl - UT II e A pplying to graduate schools is a frustrating task. It's made even more infuriating when you're an international student who doesn't quali- fy for federal financial aid, like me. And- at a time when EMAD local assistance ANSARI programs like the Michigan Promise Zone Scholarship are under threat, it's even harder to draw attention to the financial woes of international students. It's pertinent to mention - and easy to forget - that the effects of the economic climate stretch past national boundaries and affect the ability to afford tuition of prospective international stu- dents and local students alike. Unless international students are provided even limited access to scholarships and financial assis- tance, the University will find its international student popula- tion dwindling and the quality of overseas applicants declining. When I applied to college, my high school classmates bemoaned the University's aid policy toward international students. Many who found themselves excluded from the pool of funds opted for liberal arts colleges like Carleton College and Macalester College in Min- nesota - both of which offered significant scholarship opportu- nities for overseas applicants. The lack of funding opportu- nities means that the University attracts a certain type of inter- national student - one with the ability to pay the burgeon- ing tuition fees the institution demands. Cast in that light, inter- national students are mistakenly perceived as deep-pocketed and unworthy. But while academic standards dispel that image and help maintain a minimum stan- dard of excellence, a complete absence of substantial financial assistance deters even more qual- ified prospective applicants. Those who do attend find themselves trimmingthe edges of their degree programs. By either accepting credits for advanced high school courses or overload- ing on courses, financially con- strained students attempt to graduate ahead of time. Caught in a frenzied attempt to cut four years in college down to three, these students relinquish the tre- mendous opportunities offered on campus. On top of rushed degrees, international students are forced to work or apply for student loans. And while that's not unusual for college students, the burden on international students is consid- erably higher. Most international students arrive onF-1visas, which prohibit off-campus employment, and the search for work-study employment opportunities is arduous in a limited market. In addition, most University-affili- ated employers specify national- ity or permanent residence in the United States as prerequisites for vacant jobs. High-interest loans, in turn, are hardly viable options for already-burdened students. Repaying loans restricts options for graduates - international stu- dents must work in the U.S. rather than return home to contribute in their own countries. It's not surprising that inter- national students haven't made a concerted effort to obtain aid from the University. Such demands would be countered with a barrage of retorts, partic- ularly in the current recession. A public university awarding funds to international students when in-state students sweat for finan- cial aid would be accused of mis- placed priorities. But consider my proposition - five significant scholarships exclusively earmarked for inter- national students, based both on financial need and merit. That's hardly an outrageous request. Granted, the extremely limited scholarships would not ease the financial woes of all international students, but they would gener- ate a more competitive pool of applicants and provide a prece- dent for international students to build upon and rally around. International students can't find funding. More importantly, the assis- tance would protect global repre- sentationoncampus,particularlyif offered along country-specific cri- teria. Each year, the London School of Economics and Political Science awards renewable yearly scholar- ships to students from Mauritius, Pakistan, Israel, Brazil and Hong Kong. In Ann Arbor, the number of freshmen from less represented states like Bangladesh or Egypt isn't likely to increase unless stu- dents are provided some codified incentive by the University. Denied financial aid and fea- sible scholarships, international students are forced into restric- tive options that inhibit both their college experience and future prospects. Unless this burden is eased, representation is protected and more qualified applicants are attracted, only an isolated few will benefit from a University education. - Emad Ansari can be reached at heansari@umich.edu.