Sebelius Announces Rule Expanding Mental Health and Substance Abuse Insurance Coverage

Sebelius says finalizing the rule puts teeth into the two thousand and eight Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act.

“That incredibly important law combined with the Affordable Care Act it will expand and protect behavioral health benefits for more than 62 million Americans.”

Sebelius says the rule requires insurers to use comparable clinical standards and cost considerations for both behavioral healthcare and general medical care. She also says it will provide greater consumer protection. The changes are welcomed by former first lady Rosalynn Carter who has been fighting for mental health equality for decades.

“This is a day…I have anxiously awaited for so many years.”

Like other Americans, Dr. John Bartlett says Georgians will benefit from the rule. Bartlett is a senior advisor to the mental health program at The Carter Center.

“Georgia has at this point taken the position it will not expand Medicaid, but all the insurance products that will come through the exchanges in Georgia, which are being run by the federal government will have to comply with this final rule.”

Bartlett says the finalizing the rule represents a huge step forward.

“What it means is that the realities that are out there can be judged, and without this final rule we didn’t have that, so now we actually have a gold standard, a set of regulations and rules that tell us what it should be.”

Bartlett says currently some insurers in exchanges under the affordable care act are not living up to parity for mental health and substance abuse services. But because of the rule, they will now have to add services like partial hospitalization and early screening and prevention for things like depression and substance abuse.