BENEFITS OF MENTAL CARE

To the Editor:

Re "9 Million Gaining Upgraded Benefit for Mental Care" (front page, Jan. 1):

Treating the so-called worried well is not expensive, as claimed by the
insurance industry, when you are heading off stresses that can drive
cardiovascular disease, asthma attacks, some cancers and other conditions
requiring costly hospital stays.

Significant economies may be produced through parity for addiction disease.
While untreated, these patients dearly cost the community in repeated
health care, accidents, unemployment and prisons; when treated, many of
them can be headed off at the pass.

Nationally, treatment for alcoholics and those addicted to other drugs has
for the last five years been rendered managed care-friendly by the American
Society for Addiction Medicine — and it's a bargain.

NANCY BRACH

Montclair, N.J., Jan. 1, 2001