Behavioral and Mental Health Coverage Policies, Parity and Analyses

Behavioural health disorders (including both mental disorders and substance use disorders) affect a large number of people and contribute costs to the health care system, even as indicated treatment is often not received by individuals in need. In the United States, an estimated 26% of non-institutionalised adults experience behavioural health disorders in a given year; over the course of a lifetime, the estimate rises to 46%. This book provides an overview of sections in the health reform law that are expected to affect the financing and delivery of behavioural health care services. Access to health care services is determined by multiple factors, including financing arrangements and covered benefits. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) may increase access to behavioural health services by increasing the availability and affordability of financing arrangements; the law also contains sections that will affect both the coverage of behavioural health services, as well as the conditions under which those services are covered.