Susan Reimer highlights several positive steps that insurance companies are taking (with a nudge from the federal government) to enhance the physical and emotional well-being of women in this country ("Big step forward for women's health," Aug. 15). Included among the preventative care measures is a mandate that counseling for domestic violence victims be provided without a co-pay or deductible.
Yet while this provision is to be applauded, it does not ensure that similar services are available for male victims of domestic violence. While the majority of victims of this crime are women, there are a large numbers of male victims of domestic violence who remain unidentified because they don't seek treatment for the trauma caused by ongoing physical and psychological battering.
Ms. Reimer's focus on women's health issues and the need for insurance companies to be proactive in their health care is commendable. But it would wonderful if similar benefits were extended to men as well. If services were available to everyone, regardless of gender, all victims of domestic violence would benefit.
Linda L. Fleischer, Columbia