Measuring Progress on Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Parity

Measuring Progress on Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Parity

June 7, 2016

By: Richard Frank, PhD

Much like health care reform, realizing comparable insurance coverage for mental health and substance use disorders (known as parity) has been a long time coming.  Recognizing mental health and substance use disorder treatment as integral to health underpins the significance of providing parity in coverage of treatment for mental and substance use disorders and other medical conditions.
The Obama Administration has made parity a priority, and because of our efforts and those of the dedicated advocates, legislators, and stakeholders who fought for people with mental illnesses and substance use disorders  before us, we have improved insurance coverage for mental health and substance use disorder care for over 170 million people.  As we take stock of this progress, it’s worth reviewing the work that got us here and the steps that lay ahead.
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