Parity: An Ongoing Challenge and Research Opportunity
Year: 2013
Type: editorial
Abstract: Until recently, health plans typically imposed higher co-pays and limited benefits for treatment of mental health and substance abuse disorders.The co-pays and benefit restrictions discouraged unnecessary use of services and reduced the health plans' economic risks (1;2).After many years of seeking comprehensive reforms in these discriminatory policies, mental health and substance abuse advocates succeeded when Congress passed the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008.The legislation prohibits health plans that include behavioral health benefits from imposing greater quantitative limits (e.g., co-pays and limits on the amount of care) and more restrictive non-quantitative limits (e.g., pre-authorization) for mental health and substance abuse disorders relative to the benefits provided for general health care -parity.
Source: American Journal of Psychiatry
Author: Dennis McCarty
Institution: Oregon Health & Science University
Language: English
Subfield: Economics and Econometrics
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
Awards: G1237377007, Western States Node of the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network, Oregon's Coordinated Care Organizations Integrate Care for Drug Use Disorders, Integrating Addiction Treatment and Medical Care in a Commercial Health Plan, G5009533839, Oregon's Coordinated Care Organizations Integrate Care for Drug Use Disorders, Evaluating Coordinated Care Organizations, Methamphetamine Abuse Research Center, G8418274664, Western States Node of the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network
OpenAlex ID: W2135995490