Mental Health Parity

An older couple is looking at a piece of paper being shared by a young professional woman

APA Services works to ensure that health plans provide equitable coverage for mental and behavioral health services.

Our focus

Advocate for stronger federal and state enforcement of the requirements of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) and other applicable state and federal parity laws.
Responsibility for enforcing MHPAEA’s requirements is currently divided and shared across multiple state and federal agencies and varies depending on the type of health insurance coverage a patient has. The lack of clear enforcement authority, tools, and resources has made it difficult to fully achieve the goals of federal and state parity law. Analyses have repeatedly found disparities in health plan coverage of and reimbursement for mental health services.
Extend the application of parity requirements to all health plans, including state and local government plans, Medicaid fee-for-service only enrollees, and Medicare beneficiaries.
Health insurance which inequitably limits or restricts coverage for mental health and substance use disorder services discourages patients from seeking treatment. Ultimately, all health insurance plans should provide equitable coverage for these services.

Our efforts on this issue advance the following advocacy priorities:

Access to health services, including mental and behavioral health services
Health equity for underserved and vulnerable populations
Reimbursement and scope of practice
Substance use disorders

Requiring insurers to make mental health coverage decisions based on clinical and scientific expertise—instead of their bottom line—is the right thing to do for the well-being of our citizens and communities.
—Arthur C. Evans, Jr., PhD, APA Chief Executive Officer

What you can do

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Get involved

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Related issues

Contact us

Stephen R. Gillaspy, PhD
Deputy Chief, Health Policy and Healthcare Financing

Scott Barstow, MS
Senior Director of Congressional and Federal Affairs

Andrew Strickland, JD
Senior Legislative and Regulatory Officer

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Recent advocacy on mental health parity

APA Services welcomes five new members to the Advocacy Coordinating Committee

November 4, 2025

APA Services welcomes five new members to its Advocacy Coordinating Committee, which guides the association’s advocacy priorities each year. Meet the new appointees shaping psychology’s voice in public policy

Parity law challenges create uncertainty in mental health treatment

May 29, 2025

What psychologists need to know about recent challenges to key mental health parity law that may deprive many Americans of much-needed mental health and substance use disorder care

Teenage boy drinking water when talking to adolescent psychologist about his worries and problems

Ensure compliance of mental health parity law

February 26, 2025

The CEO Alliance for Mental Health expresses disappointment with lawsuit challenging 2024 parity final rule

Three members appointed to the Advocacy Coordinating Committee

October 2, 2024

The Advocacy Coordinating Committee (ACC) is charged with recommending the association’s advocacy priorities to the Board of Directors. Evelyn Burrell, Tamara Morris, Christopher Nguyen have been appointed to serve on the ACC.

More on mental health parity

Continuing progress on critical issues for clinicians

APA has made substantive progress in the ongoing push for fair reimbursement for psychologists, a stronger provider workforce, and improved access to care

Calling for stronger enforcement for mental health parity laws and continued telehealth coverage to advance health equity

APA testifies in support of legislation to expand coverage of services as COVID-19 increases demand for mental health services.

Offering recommendations on practice, science, and equity for the next iteration of the 21st Century Cures Act

APA responds to a request for recommendations on a follow-up to the 21st Century Cures Act. In its letter, APA highlights several advocacy priorities on an array of topics, including telehealth, parity, and the psychology workforce.

Providing input on the design of a potential ‘public option’ health insurance plan

APA offered recommendations to congressional leadership on the design of a potential “public option” health plan that, if enacted, would compete with private insurance plans. APA highlighted several advocacy priorities in its response, including reimbursement, parity, and innovative forms of mental health and substance use treatment.

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Last updated: November 2024Date created: October 2021