- Key Insight: Discover how equine therapy advocacy could redefine employer-sponsored behavioral health benefits.
- What's at Stake: Excluding equine therapy risks unmet veteran mental-health needs and rising long-term costs.
- Forward Look: State-level policy debates could create reimbursement pathways for alternative therapies.
- Source: Bullets generated by AI with editorial review
Cally Ideus isn't just a benefits adviser — she's also a National Association of Benefits and Insurance Professionals regional vice president,
In short, she's a Renaissance Woman with Midwestern charm, boundless energy and lofty goals, which include expanding the reach of equine therapy that worked wonders on fellow soldiers. Her hope is that one day it will be
Never a fan of actually selling insurance — a field she fell into with the help of her sister — Ideus's focus and passion are instead channeled into
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She laments that health insurance has become too complicated not only for the average consumer, but also for independent insurance agents. Between the group and Medicare markets she serves, Ideus has logged more than 200 hours of education trying to understand hundreds of plans that are available and new compliance efforts at a time when commissions are being cut.
Prior to building a career in benefits, Ideus joined the Army National Guard, which then led to an intelligence-analyst position in the Pentagon where she was chosen to run classified programs for the Secretary of Defense to protect the U.S. at a high national level.
While in Saudi Arabia, Ideus was exposed to several harmful chemicals that caused her to
"I went to the war-related injury illness center in New Jersey, and they told me I'd be in a wheelchair in five years," she recalls. "And I said, 'Heck, no, not going to do it. I'm going to keep walking.'"
Determined to defy the odds, she found an old cowboy from out west who introduced her to equine therapy. It was a transformative experience that helped her become a better mother, wife and citizen, though she's a work in progress from a physical standpoint. "I still battle the ability to walk, but I work on it every day and find new strategies to keep my legs underneath me," she says.
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The sad part for Ideus is that equine therapy isn't recognized as a true form of treatment and is not paid for through insurance carriers. Instead, the cost for what she considers a life-saving scientific approach is completely borne out of pocket or funded by grants. It also doesn't help that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs promotes the use of pharmaceuticals, which she cautions can have a negative impact on a veteran's mindset,
Knowing all this led to a nonprofit built in her brain and heart to make a difference in people's lives. It includes an indoor horse-riding facility to provide emotional support and therapies for veterans and first responders. Paying it forward, however, requires that Ideus work an extra job just to keep the lights on, especially when insurance carriers decide not to pay for this alternative therapy.
Odyssey Mission is more than just a therapy center. It's a passion project for Ideus to help change the mindset about highly effective
In hopes of elevating her nonprofit's mission, Ideus has turned her attention to politics. Currently unopposed, she faces a May primary at which time the top two candidates in her district will proceed onto the general mid-term election in November.
Ideus feels right at home helping legislators and regulators understand the health care market's complexity in the face of rising costs, as well as identifying opportunities to reform the system. Some people question how she can possibly derive any enjoyment out of reading up on public policy when politics are so ugly behind the scenes.
"That's what gets me up every day!" she enthuses.
