The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act is a federal law that requires insurance companies to cover mental health services in the same way as physical health services. This means that mental health treatment should be just as affordable for patients as physical health treatment.
The MHPAEA was passed in 2008 and has been amended several times since then. The most recent amendment, which took effect in January 2016, makes it easier for patients to find and use mental health services. To know more about MHPAEA compliance you can browse different online resources.
It also strengthens protections for people with mental illnesses by requiring insurance companies to cover treatments that are recommended by a doctor. Mental health parity is important because it helps ensure that people with mental illness get the treatment they need. It also protects people from being discriminated against based on their mental illness.
It also requires that social security disability insurance (SSDI) be available to individuals who are able to work but whose mental illness makes them unable to do so. Under current law, SSDI is only available to individuals who have been disabled for at least a year.
This act extends eligibility for SSDI to individuals who have been disabled for less than a year if they meet certain other conditions, such as having a serious impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. It has also led to improvements in the way these programs are structured and administered.