Madigan explained that, in order to ensure that the nearly one in five Americans living with mental illness has access to affordable and quality healthcare, federal and state governments must enforce the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008.
“[The Federal Parity Law] requires insurers to cover treatment for mental health and substance use disorders with limitations no more restrictive than those applied to illnesses of the body, such as cancer, diabetes, or heart disease,” Madigan said. In other words, if you have unlimited visits with your cardiologist, the same is supposed to be true for your psychiatrist – a significant change from years past.
However, not all insurers have complied with the law. For example, in 2019 a federal judge in California found that UnitedHealth Group had created internal policies that discriminated against individuals with mental illness and substance abuse disorders.
Madigan told POPSUGAR that enforcement of the law at the state level has been inconsistent at best. Generally, state insurance commissioners are tasked with regulating mental health parity, but in some states, laws have to be passed to allow this to occur. AFSP supports passage of comprehensive state-level parity legislation that requires transparency and accountability from state regulators and insurers – for example, by establishing reporting requirements for insurers and clarifying how state insurance departments will enforce them. Current Congressional efforts to strengthen parity enforcement include implementing disclosure requirements, stronger reporting, and even penalizing noncompliant providers.
“By setting a societal standard that mental health is equally important to physical health, care can be provided to those who need it the most regardless of race, gender, or socioeconomic circumstances,” Madigan said. Look for candidates who are fully committed to enforcing the Federal Parity Law.