Medicaid Cuts Lead To Rise In Suicide In Rural America

Suicide is on the increase in rural America--nowhere so much as in western mountain states like Idaho, Wyoming and New Mexico. Mental health professionals attribute it in part to cutbacks in Medicaid funding, to the recession and to the culture of the rural West. In Idaho, somebody kills himself every 35 hours, according to a 2009 report to Idaho's governor by the state's Council on Suicide Prevention.

Their report calls suicide "a major public health issue" having a "devastating effect" on Idaho's families, churches, businesses and even schools: 65 students aged 10 and 18 killed themselves in a recent five-year period. Recently, a county sheriff in Bonneville told the Idaho Falls Post Register that his department was getting more suicide calls than in 2010—a year in which 290 Idahoans took their own lives. "We're in a spike right now," he says.

Kathie Garrett, co-chairman of the Idaho Council on Suicide Prevention, says the problem has gotten only worse since the recession. "The poor economy and unemployment—those put a lot of stress on people's lives," she explains. To save money, people skip doctor visits and cut back on taking prescribed medications.

Cuts in Medicaid have reduced the services available to the mentally ill. "I personally know people who lost Medicaid who've attempted suicide," says Garrett. Reductions in funding have led to the closing of mental health offices, she says. Such closings mean more in Idaho than they would, say, in Manhattan, where a therapist can be found on every block. Before the cuts and closings, somebody in Idaho seeking therapy might have had to drive 160 miles to find it. Kim Kane, executive director of Idaho's Suicide Prevention Action Network in Idaho says other factors explain the high rate of suicide in western mountain states.

One is the greater prevalence of guns: In 2010, 63 percent of Idaho suicides involved a firearm, compared with the national average of 50 percent. She and Garrett also say the West's pride in rugged individualism can prevent people from seeking help. Their feeling, says Kane, is that they ought to be able to pull themselves up by their mental bootstraps. Idaho is the only state not to have a suicide-prevention hotline.

This is just horrible. It hurts me when I think about people who feel so hopeless, so depressed, and out of answers to the point they feel their only option is suicide. This is a travesty, and one which will only grow, as the current state of the US worsens.

My heart goes out to these people, their families, and communities. I hope it gets better for many.

news.yahoo.com...

I have never understood why the US doesn't have a NHS type service like we do in the UK, yeah it isnt perfect and waiting times are long but at least if we get ill/hurt we don't have to pay loads of cash just to get better (Apart from tax which I would gladly pay more us long as it goes to the NHS).
It's a sad story this one, I remember watching Sicko and was shocked that people operate on themselves in the US because they can't afford medical Bills.
To hear that people are killing themselves cos of the pain really saddens me.
So can someone tell me why some Americans are so opposed to free healthcare?
Good thread btw thanks for bringing this up.

I think that 17 day Obama vacation in the south seas would pay for everything needed for proper health care.

Taxation without representation.

Originally posted by boymonkey74
I have never understood why the US doesn't have a NHS type service like we do in the UK, yeah it isnt perfect and waiting times are long but at least if we get ill/hurt we don't have to pay loads of cash just to get better (Apart from tax which I would gladly pay more us long as it goes to the NHS).
It's a sad story this one, I remember watching Sicko and was shocked that people operate on themselves in the US because they can't afford medical Bills.
To hear that people are killing themselves cos of the pain really saddens me.
So can someone tell me why some Americans are so opposed to free healthcare?
Good thread btw thanks for bringing this up.

Because we rather not think of ourselves to be communist, socialist, nazi fascists than to take care of our sick citizens.


/sarcasm

Originally posted by boymonkey74
I have never understood why the US doesn't have a NHS type service like we do in the UK, yeah it isnt perfect and waiting times are long but at least if we get ill/hurt we don't have to pay loads of cash just to get better (Apart from tax which I would gladly pay more us long as it goes to the NHS).
It's a sad story this one, I remember watching Sicko and was shocked that people operate on themselves in the US because they can't afford medical Bills.
To hear that people are killing themselves cos of the pain really saddens me.
So can someone tell me why some Americans are so opposed to free healthcare?
Good thread btw thanks for bringing this up.

Not sure why Americans are opposed to free healthcare. It is a sad situation which is painful to look at.

But judging by the minimal reaction to this thread, many just don't care, as long as it's someone they know personally.

Originally posted by MysticPearl

Originally posted by boymonkey74
I have never understood why the US doesn't have a NHS type service like we do in the UK, yeah it isnt perfect and waiting times are long but at least if we get ill/hurt we don't have to pay loads of cash just to get better (Apart from tax which I would gladly pay more us long as it goes to the NHS).
It's a sad story this one, I remember watching Sicko and was shocked that people operate on themselves in the US because they can't afford medical Bills.
To hear that people are killing themselves cos of the pain really saddens me.
So can someone tell me why some Americans are so opposed to free healthcare?
Good thread btw thanks for bringing this up.

Not sure why Americans are opposed to free healthcare. It is a sad situation which is painful to look at.

But judging by the minimal reaction to this thread, many just don't care, as long as it's someone they know personally.

edit on 6-12-2011 by MysticPearl because: (no reason given)

Yeah I expected this thread to be busy as well, I think your right, It's "Iam alright jack" syndrome one thing I have noticed about my American cousins.

Originally posted by boymonkey74

Originally posted by MysticPearl

Originally posted by boymonkey74
I have never understood why the US doesn't have a NHS type service like we do in the UK, yeah it isnt perfect and waiting times are long but at least if we get ill/hurt we don't have to pay loads of cash just to get better (Apart from tax which I would gladly pay more us long as it goes to the NHS).
It's a sad story this one, I remember watching Sicko and was shocked that people operate on themselves in the US because they can't afford medical Bills.
To hear that people are killing themselves cos of the pain really saddens me.
So can someone tell me why some Americans are so opposed to free healthcare?
Good thread btw thanks for bringing this up.

Not sure why Americans are opposed to free healthcare. It is a sad situation which is painful to look at.

But judging by the minimal reaction to this thread, many just don't care, as long as it's someone they know personally.

edit on 6-12-2011 by MysticPearl because: (no reason given)

Yeah I expected this thread to be busy as well, I think your right, It's "Iam alright jack" syndrome one thing I have noticed about my American cousins.

It's disturbing there hasn't been a single reply in this thread since your last post.

It seems many on ATS are the same as we see/hear about in everyday life. More caught up in themselves, and show little empathy for others. How can so many on ATS, who profess to care about the people struggling in this country and world, not give a crap about this?

Does ATS only care when it's convenient? It is disturbing, that threads regarding whether or not aliens are racist, get much more attention than people committing suicide due to the healthcare system, in their own backyard.