Opinion: We mustn’t let the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act languish
Americans deserve access to mental health coverage and care that's just as good as their access to care for their physical health. And they need it now.
Ten years ago, the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act was signed into law by President George W. Bush. It was a milestone — a major acknowledgment of the importance of mental health. It was also a challenge for the health care system and culture to rectify decades of fragmentation that kept mental health separate and distinct.
The law, known widely as the Federal Parity Law, requires most insurers to cover illnesses of the brain, such as depression or substance use disorders, no more restrictively than illnesses of
