Despite policymakers putting a focus on the issue, mental health parity challenges remain for much of the country, a new report shows.
The new Mental Health Parity Index identifies disparities in 43 states in terms of access to in-network mental health and substance abuse treatment in comparison to physical health. The analysis found that patients in seven out of 10 counties face challenges in accessing in-network mental healthcare.
The index was developed by the Kennedy Forum with support from Third Horizon, the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Foundation and Ballmer Group. It's based on data from the four largest commercial insurers.
Beyond access differences, the index also identified payment disparities for mental healthcare and substance abuse treatment in all states. The analysis found that on average, the difference in payment between mental health and physical health ranges from 16% to 59% across the country.
"Mental health parity is about one simple promise: that mental health and addiction care are treated the same as any other medical care,” said Patrick J. Kennedy, co-founder of The Kennedy Forum, in the announcement.
“The Mental Health Parity Index makes it impossible to ignore where we stand and offers a powerful opportunity to intentionally shape how we track and deliver treatment, building on work The Kennedy Forum has advanced to promote measurement-based care and new payment models that reward quality," he said. "This is a breakthrough moment to expand our vision—from what’s necessary to what’s possible—to give people the care they deserve, no matter where they live."
Congress passed the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act in 2008, and under the law, health plans are required to cover mental health and substance abuse treatment on par with physical health visits or treatments like surgeries. However, progress toward this goal has been consistently slow.
The index also found that none of the insurers included in the analysis meet mental health parity benchmarks on a national scale, but networks in some states and counties that did meet or exceed those levels.
This finding, the researchers said, opens the door for discussion on what's working in those regions. The index highlights insurer best practices that are seeing success.
Making data on mental health parity visual also makes it easier for payers, providers, consumers, policymakers and other stakeholders to see what regions are lagging behind and take steps to address those gaps.
“Patients deserve the same access to mental health and substance-use disorder services as they do for any other medical condition—it’s that simple,” said AMA President Bobby Mukkamala, M.D., in the press release.
“Strong federal and state laws require affordable and accessible in-network mental health and substance-use disorder services, but patients still have to fight insurers to get it," Mukkamala said. "The Index demonstrates that many health insurance companies can improve networks for patients and payment for clinicians. These data highlight where payers and policymakers can work together on concrete solutions so patients can get the care they need and overall care quality can improve.”