Policy

The Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA) is a federal law that generally prevents group health plans and health in" rel="nofollow">insurance issuers that provide mental health or substance use disorder (MH/SUD) benefits from imposin" rel="nofollow">ing less favorable benefit limitations on those benefits than on medical/surgical benefits. MHPAEA origin" rel="nofollow">inally applied to group health plans and group health in" rel="nofollow">insurance coverage and was amended by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (collectively referred to as the “Affordable Care Act”) to also apply to in" rel="nofollow">individual health in" rel="nofollow">insurance coverage. The ACA required both private in" rel="nofollow">insurance and state-subsidized Medicaid plans to offer mental health and substance-abuse treatment as an essential benefit—a core safeguard for parity. However, the GOP health bill to repeal ACA earlier this year stated to remove a requirement set forth in" rel="nofollow">in the ACA that mandated Medicaid to cover basic mental and behavioral (in" rel="nofollow">includin" rel="nofollow">ing substance-related) health services. If the bill would have passed, the burden of mental health care would fall largely on states and in" rel="nofollow">individuals. How would the removal of mandated Medicaid coverage on basic mental and behavioral (in" rel="nofollow">includin" rel="nofollow">ing substance-related) health services impact other public sectors, in" rel="nofollow">includin" rel="nofollow">ing medical health care, public assistance, public housin" rel="nofollow">ing, child welfare, crimin" rel="nofollow">inal justice? Will the needs for these services in" rel="nofollow">increase? In other words, if the mandated Medicaid coverage on basic mental and behavioral (in" rel="nofollow">includin" rel="nofollow">ing substance-related) health services is removed, will public sectors such as medical health care, public assistance, public housin" rel="nofollow">ing, child welfare, crimin" rel="nofollow">inal justice see more people enter their services? Why or why not? Please explain" rel="nofollow">in the impacts on each of these public sectors. One of the rationals to repeal ACA is to cut federal spendin" rel="nofollow">ing. Do you thin" rel="nofollow">ink in" rel="nofollow">in the long run, removin" rel="nofollow">ing coverage on Mental Health and Substance Use Treatment will save money? Your paper should be short, and no more than 3 pages in" rel="nofollow">in length (Double-Spaced).