It took a long time, well over a decade, but those of us who live in the US will now have mandatory mental health coverage.
The Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity & Addiction Equity Act of 2008, also known as Mental Health Parity, states that no insurance company can discriminate against mental health coverage or susbstance abuse treatment.
This means:
* No person can be "cut off" from mental health care with an arbitrary number of visits.
This means:
* No person can be "cut off" from mental health care with an arbitrary number of visits.
* No person can be forced to pay out-of-pocket for mental health care.
* Any person who has been "locked out" from mental health insurance will now have the opportunity to access such care.
The Mental Health Parity Act will be in full effect by January 1, 2010, but many states are already rolling this law into their books. So, as the new year approaches, find out if you live in a state that has its parity laws up and operating.
Now all we need is universal care for every person. No one should be without medical or mental healthcare.
