Mental Health Parity- Know Your Rights!!
The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA) is a Federal Law that mandates that insurers can no longer discriminate against patients with mental illness. It requires the insurance plans to apply the same requirements for coverage and access to mental health services as they would for other medical/surgical services. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) has published the following information material for patients and providers to identify and report any violations to the appropriate authorities. The first step is to appeal the denial of services with the insurance plan.