What is the Mental Health Parity Act?

The Mental Health Parity Act, also known as the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, is a federal law that requires health insurance companies to provide equal coverage for mental health services and treatments as they do for medical and surgical treatments. This law applies to health plans in the individual and group markets and to large employers. The Mental Health Parity Act requires that insurance companies provide treatment and access to care for mental health and substance abuse disorders on a similar basis to that provided for medical/surgical conditions. It also prohibits health plans from setting higher co-pays or deductibles or providing fewer types of treatment plans for mental health than for physical health. In California, mental health parity is also a state law. This law requires that insurance plans cover mental health and substance abuse treatments at the same level as they cover medical and surgical treatments. It also requires that insurance plans provide equal access to mental health professionals, eliminate any cap on the number of visits allowed, and not limit the scope of covered services more than those for medical and surgical services. In addition, California also has the Mental Health Services Act, which works to build a system of access for Californians to quality mental health care. This law provides funding for a wide range of mental health programs that serve over two million Californians each year. Both the federal and state laws are designed to ensure that individuals in California have access to the same quality of mental health services as they do for medical and surgical treatments. This can help make mental health care more accessible and reduce the stigma surrounding mental health issues.

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What is the Mental Health Parity Act?

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