Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced this morning that insurance companies will be required to treat mental health care equally with medical and surgical care. The new policy will also apply to addiction treatment.
Coupled with the Affordable Care Act, the move will provide unprecedented access to mental health services for people with most types of insurance plans. Dr. Jeffrey Lieberman, President of the American Psychiatric Association, told CNN that although the 2008 Mental Health Parity And Addiction Equity Act had already expanded access to mental health care, “Up to now, the law has not been complied with…Many private insurers gave nothing. Some provided benefits, but they were limited and inadequate.” The new policies ensure that the 2008 act will now be enforceable.
