To my knowledge Utah and the USA has not yet become a socialist government where government is the care giver, the money giver, nor responsible for providing jobs and wages to citizens. Government is not responsible to provide health care and income either. Governments job is regulating and providing government services, but they are not responsible to cover the medical needs or any other needs of its citizens. If government should be invloved in health care, they should be investigating the fraud and profiteering in health care and health care insurance companies. Citizens are responsible for their own health care and health. Citizens are responsible for taking care of themselves in all aspects of being and american citizen, regardless of race, religion, or income. When news media reports on the poor it is generally referring to the illegals whining about how they are not getting this free service along with their welfare and tax free jobs. Utah should abandon all welfare services and make the whiners work for their lively hood and health care. Utah and the whiners should be investigating health care services and cost, government should not be paying the cost for someones illness.

bob g: Nice to hear the jingoist tripe first thing in the morning.

I'm a middle class white guy with an ex-wife and son who have SEVERE mental illnesses. This artical addressed two disparities: 1) lower frequency and quality of health care for the working poor, 2) the dramatic difference between health care and mental health care.

I have very good insurance, but still cannot provide the services that my wife and child need because of the EXTREME cost and differences in allowed covereage with mental health issues.

One of two things need to happen to solve this problem. Insurance companies must be made to cover mental health like any other illness with the same copays and without the built in limits. Or our government needs to help provide services that are funded through a sliding fee scale and tax revenue.

In addition to this, there must be a push to recruit more providers. For example, there are three youth providers in the Ogden area for psychology. This means that my son's doctor is scheduled out 90 days at a time and works 12 and 14 and 16 hour days.

There must be a change....

I know a man who was a brilliant gynecologist, had a beautiful wife and five happy children, home and all the trimmings. One of the organs in his body began to malfunction - the chemistry was wrong for the organ to function properly. He lost his medical practice, his wife and his children were taken away from him - BECAUSE ONE ORGAN IN HIS BODY MALFUNCTIONED. He now works part-time as a bagger at a grocery store.

Have you figured out what organ had a chemical imbalance? His Brain! A brain is as much an organ as a heart or your eyes. If he had become blind or lost the functioning of his hands and lost his practice - would you still feel he should "work for his lively hood"? Just his medications are over $3000 a month. He can barely keep his part time job. Perhaps you would prefer having him homeless. Since his ancestry a few generations back came from England we should deport him. -- So where would we deport you if you should break a leg and need a helping hand?