FEW AMERICANS AWARE OF LAWBROADENING
ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT
~ APA Survey Reveals
Nearly 90 Percent of Americans Have Never Heard of Mental
Health Parity or Law ~
February 2011
(Washington, D.C.) - An overwhelming
majority of Americans remain unaware of a law mandating
equal coverage of mental health benefits by insurance
companies. This is a cause for concern by psychologists
at a time when one-quarter of Americans are reported
to have a mental health disorder and only a minority
are receiving treatment.
In a survey recently conducted
by the American Psychological Association (APA), 87
percent of Americans said they had not heard of the
Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008,
a federal law now in effect for people who have health
insurance through a group or employer plan. And, only
a scant seven percent of respondents said they recognized
the phrase "mental health parity."
More than 26 percent of American
adults have a diagnosable mental health disorder, but
of those, only 33 percent are receiving care, according
to data from the National Institute of Mental Health.
Of that number, one-third is receiving treatment that
is considered only minimally adequate. In the APA survey,
which was conducted online by Harris Interactive among
2,940 adults in December 2010, nearly one-third of adults
(29 percent) said they don't know if they have adequate
mental health coverage and 45 percent said they are
unsure if their insurances reimburses for mental health
care.
The law, signed by President
Bush in 2008 and put into effect for most plans on January
1, 2011, extends equal coverage to all aspects of health
insurance plans. It preserves existing state mental
health and addiction parity laws while extending protection
of behavioral health services to 82 million Americans
not previously protected by state laws. The law also
requires parity for mental health coverage when provided
both in-network and out-of-network.
Among other benefits, the
law equalizes the out-of-pocket cost of mental health
treatments to those of physical health coverage. No
longer will insurance consumers pay deductibles and
co-pays that are more costly for psychotherapy than
a visit to their family physician. The parity act also
removes the cap on the number of outpatient visits allotted
per year, as long as no cap exists for physical health-related
visits.
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