PsychU Spotlight

Did You Know?

• Lack of treatment for mental health and substance abuse disorders, has been associated with premature mortality, productivity loss, high rates of disability, and increased risk for chronic disease.

  Reference:
  US National Library of Medicine (NLM) National Institutes of Health (NIH). (2019). Increasing equity in access to mental health care: a critical first step in improving service quality. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5775117/.

• According to the America’s Mental Health 2018 study of approximately 5,000 individuals, one in five Americans (17%) stated that they had to choose between treating a condition related to physical health and a condition related to mental health due to insurance policies and related costs.

  Reference:
  The National Council For Behavioral Health. (2018) New study reveals lack of access as root cause for mental health crisis in America. Retrieved from https://www.thenationalcouncil.org/press-releases/new-study-reveals-lack-of-access-as-root-cause-for-mental-health-crisis-in-america/.

• Currently there are over 5.3 million adults with a mental illness who remain uninsured. The biggest disparity in uninsurance rates between states is between Massachusetts (2.2%) and Texas (23.0%).

  Reference:
  Mental Health America. (2019) Access to care data. Retrieved from https://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/issues/mental-health-america-access-care-data.

• According to Former Senator Patrick Kennedy, an outspoken advocate for mental health and addiction parity, one goal of the MHPAEA is to develop case law and common law standards in order to enforce parity laws properly within the U.S.

  Reference:
  PsychU (2018) Understanding The mental health parity & addiction equity act through the lens of the civil rights movement (part 1). Retrieved from https://www.psychu.org/understanding-mental-health-parity-addiction-equity-act-lens-civil-rights-movement-part-1/.

• The Mental Health Parity Act disposed of large group health plan annual or lifetime dollar limits of mental health benefits which are less favorable than similar limits for medical or surgical benefits. The MHPAEA added additional protections to those with substance abuse disorders. However, these requirements only apply only to large group health plans and health insurers that choose to add mental health and substance abuse disorders to their benefit packages.

  Reference:
  Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA). Retrieved from https://www.cms.gov/cciio/programs-and-initiatives/other-insurance-protections/mhpaea_factsheet.html.