New Report Shows Health Plans Fall Short on Mental Health and Substance Use Coverage

Health plans and insurance companies are not providing parity in mental health and substance use disorder benefits, according to a new government report.

The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 requires health insurance carriers to achieve coverage parity between mental health/substance use disorders and medical/surgical benefits, MarketWatch reports.

The new report, from the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and the Treasury, cites examples of health plans and insurance carriers failing to ensure parity. One health plan excluded methadone and naltrexone as a treatment for substance use disorder. A health insurance carrier covered nutritional counseling for medical conditions such as diabetes, but not for conditions such as anorexia, bulimia and binge-eating disorder.

“The report’s findings clearly indicate that health plans and insurance companies are falling short of providing parity in mental health and substance-use disorder benefits, at a time when those benefits are needed like never before,” U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh said in a news release. “The pandemic is having a negative impact on the mental health of people in the U.S. and driving a rise in substance use. As a person in recovery, I know firsthand how important access to mental health and substance-use disorder treatment is.”