USA Today (3/10, Ungar, O’Donnell) reports that health insurance coverage for mental and physical illness remains unequal “despite promises that Obamacare would help level the playing field, mental health advocates and researchers say.” A new study published online in Psychiatric Services found that consumer information on a quarter of ACA plans examined by researchers appeared to violate a Federal “parity” law designed to stop discrimination in coverage for people with mental health or addiction problems. The study, which examined plans in two state-run exchanges, “found two big problems: financial disparities such as different co-pays or deductibles for mental and physical health services; and more stringent requirements for ‘prior authorizations’ from insurers before patients can get mental health services.”
Related Links:
— “Mental health coverage unequal in many Obamacare plans,” Laura Ungar and Jayne O’Donnell, USA Today, March 9, 2015.