How does the new health law affect mental health parity?
Health reform will change those exemptions in a major way. It will absorb in many ways the small group and individual market. There are large concentrations of uninsured people in these groups and coverage is more expensive in these markets for everything, especially if someone has a mental health diagnosis. Sen. [Debbie] Stabenow, D-Mich., sponsored a provision that requires all plans offered in the new insurance exchanges to have a mental health benefit, and that benefit must also comply with the parity law. This is what the exchanges are designed to do — they are meant to eradicate the disparities in the markets. In terms of Medicaid, the new eligibility categories are huge for NAMI — particularly in southern states. For example, in Florida, the only way to get on Medicaid if you are an adult with mental illness is to be declared disabled and eligible to receive Social Security Income. We’re convinced that a large chunk of the new Medicaid eligible population in states like Florid
