Medicaid discrimination against the mentally ill

"Medicaid’s denial of coverage results in homelessness, incarceration, victimization and even death for many people who are so ill they are unable to care for themselves. Of the 3.5 million Americans with schizophrenia and manic-depression, 40 percent (1.4 million) are not being treated on any given day. By the Justice Department's own statistics, there are currently about 283,800 mentally ill people locked up in the nation's jails and prisons. The Los Angeles County Jail and New York's Riker's Island are currently the two largest "treatment facilities" for the mentally ill in the country. Another 150,000 to 200,000 mentally ill are homeless, and 28 percent get at least some of their meals from garbage cans. More than ten percent will die from suicide. Others will commit acts of violence against family, friends and total strangers."

via Psychlaw.org