Connecticut Counseling Association

Parity of insurance coverage for mental health services

Mental health advocates, including ACA, have been working for years in support of full mental health parity legislation such as the 107th Congress' S. 543 and H.R. 4066.  The federal mental health parity law currently on the books only requires parity of dollar coverage limits between mental health and general medical insurance coverage, and continues to allow health plans to place arbitrary day and visit limits on mental health services, and to require higher deductibles and co-payments for mental health services. 

After Senate passage of strong mental health parity language during last year's appropriations process, advocates pushed hard to gain House acceptance of the language in the appropriations conference committee, but were stonewalled by the House Republican leadership, which claimed that more time was needed to study the issue and allow for the committees with jurisdiction to hold hearings.  The parity effort got a boost at the end of April 2002, with President Bush's endorsement of the concept of parity.  Representatives Marge Roukema (R-NJ) and Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) introduced the Senate-passed language in the House as H.R. 4066, and advocates began turning up the pressure on House members.  Hearings were held on parity near the end of July by the Health Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.  ACA submitted testimony for inclusion in the record of this hearing, urging strong support for H.R. 4066 and opposition to any weakening amendments.

Two potential "compromises" had been floated by parity opponents.  One would have required parity of insurance coverage for only those individuals with one of a short list of severe, biologically based mental illnesses.  Another would have established parity of coverage, but would have allowed employers to opt out of parity if they experienced health plan cost increases as a result.  The mental health advocacy community fought these provisions, and viewed them as seriously undermining any parity law.  Congress passed an extension of the existing federal parity law until 2003, but clearly more is needed to address this injustice.  ACA will continue to push this issue in the 108th Congress, alongside our counterparts in the Mental Health Liaison Group (MHLG).