Document Type
Report
Publication Date
4-2001
Series
Behavioral Health Issue Brief Series No. 13
Keywords
Mental Health; Legal; Employer Sponsored Health Insurance
Abstract
Recently, the Center for Health Services Research and Policy through a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, examined contracts providing for mental health benefits for state employees in eight states to assess whether legislative attempts to require parity between physical and mental illnesses resulted in noticeable differences in behavioral health benefits for state employees.
We concluded that, except in states that have mandated full parity for some or all types of mental illnesses, behavioral health benefits for state employees have not changed significantly as a result of the state parity laws, since they still remain subject to traditional restrictions, such as higher cost-sharing and greater limitations on outpatient visits and inpatient treatment days, than those imposed on physical illnesses. Thus the considerable state activity surrounding mental health parity may have little effect on state employees' access to mental health services, since although state laws required parity in dollar limitations, they generally permitted the continuation of other plan design features that are more restrictive for mental health coverage. However, many of the contracts we examined were multi-year contract and may not have fully reflected recent state activity. Moreover, if Congress renews the Mental Health Parity Act when it expires in September, 2001, and expands the scope of the Act to cover some of these other plan design features, states with more limited parity laws are likely to follow. In that case, perhaps state employees with mental illnesses may see significant change in the future.
Recommended Citation
Borzi, Phyllis and Rosenbaum, Sara J., "Behavioral Health Benefits for Public Employees: Effect of Mental Health Parity Legislation" (2001). Health Policy and Management Issue Briefs. Paper 12.
https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/sphhs_policy_briefs/12
Open Access
1
Comments
Funder: SAMHSA.