Mental Illness Parity: A Call for Nursing Action

Abstract

Parity for mental illness refers to insurance companies and employers providing the same benefits for the treatment of mental illness that apply to any medical condition. Until recently, people with mental illnesses have been discriminated against or denied coverage altogether by third-party payers for mental health care services. The Mental Health Parity Act, signed by President Clinton in 1996, was the first federal mental illness parity policy. Since then, many states have passed their own parity laws either equal to or more comprehensive than the Mental Health Parity Act of 1996. However, complete parity for people with mental illnesses will not occur until the public is more informed about the facts of mental illness and more is known scientifically and clinically in the areas of diagnosis and measurement of treatment outcomes.

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