The public health issue: The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (Parity Act) mandates that health insurance plans’ standards for substance use and mental health benefits be comparable to, and be no more restrictive than, the standards for other medical/surgical benefits.
There is a need for greater enforcement of the Federal Parity Act; however, the current enforcement framework primarily relies on consumers to raise issues related to Parity Act compliance.
Solution: The Parity@10 Compliance Campaign is a three year effort that will unite local and national advocates in 10 states to pursue full enforcement of the Parity Act. The campaign will advocate for state regulators to shift to a pre-market, prospective regulatory review process to ensure that insurance plans are complying with the Parity Act before they are sold, rather than continuing to place the burden on consumers to identify Parity Act violations and assert their right to care in the midst of a health crisis.
Our Contribution:
- Research the current treatment and policy landscape
- Conduct extensive public and provider education about the Parity Act
- Work with legislators, regulators and Attorneys General to develop more effective compliance and enforcement frameworks.
Partners: Legal Action Center (LAC), Kennedy Forum, The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, Partnership for Drug-Free Kids.
Funders: Indivior, Inc., The New York Community Trust, Open Society U.S. Programs, Open Society Institute-Baltimore.
For additional information, please see the Parity@10 press release.