(2/21/2013)

Affordable Care Act Issue Brief from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
February 21, 2013

The Affordable Care Act builds on the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 to extend federal parity protections to 62 million Americans. The parity law aims to ensure that when coverage for mental health and substance use conditions is provided, it is generally comparable to coverage for medical and surgical care. The Affordable Care Act builds on the parity law by requiring coverage of mental health and substance use disorder benefits for millions of Americans in the individual and small group markets who currently lack these benefits, and expanding parity requirements to apply to millions of Americans whose coverage did not previously comply with those requirements.

Read the Research Brief here: http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/2013/mental/rb_mental.cfm

Keywords: affordable, care, act, brief, ACA