NAMI Celebrates Finalization of Stronger Mental Health Parity Rules

Posted on September 9, 2024

Arlington, VA — Today, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) celebrates a major step in our decades-long advocacy to achieve true mental health parity. The Biden-Harris Administration finalized new rules around strengthening mental health parity protections, increasing accountability and enforcement mechanisms. The rules were announced today in Milwaukee, Wisc. at an event featuring leading Biden-Harris Administration officials and members of NAMI Wisconsin.

“NAMI is grateful to the Biden-Harris Administration for making mental health parity a priority, and for taking this important step to help people access life-saving care,” said Daniel H. Gillison, Jr., CEO of NAMI. “Every day, people are faced with unfair and potentially deadly consequences when they aren’t able to access the mental health care they need and deserve. These changes reflect what we’ve all known for a long time: we need to do better for people with mental health conditions. There is no health care without mental health care.”

NAMI Wisconsin Executive Director Mary Kay Battaglia and NAMI Advocate Helene Iverson joined Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su, HHS Deputy Secretary Andrea Palm, and White House Domestic Policy Advisor Neera Tanden for the announcement in Milwaukee, Wisc. on September 9, 2024.

First proposed by the Administration in 2023, these rules strengthen enforcement of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA), landmark legislation passed in 2008 that requires most health insurance plans to cover mental health and substance use disorder treatment at parity with medical/surgical treatment. MHPAEA marked major progress in the fight to end discrimination by health plans against people with mental health conditions – but limits in enforcing it persisted. These new rules — finalized today by the Departments of Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services — address some of those challenges.

“All of us at NAMI know just how difficult it can be to find coverage that truly treats mental health care in the same way as other types of health care,” said Gillison. “The changes announced today will help close the gap between the landmark federal mental health parity law and the reality that far too many people face when trying to access mental health care, moving us closer to the goal of achieving true parity. As we have for the last 45 years, NAMI will keep fighting until everyone with a mental illness can receive equitable treatment and timely access to quality, affordable mental health care.”

Throughout the rulemaking process, NAMI has been vocal to ensure that the real experiences of people with mental illness are heard by regulators to counter industry pushback. A NAMI advocate introduced and stood next to the President when the rules were proposed last July, and NAMI advocates submitted thousands of comments urging the Administration to finalize these rules.

To learn more about NAMI’s position on mental health parity, click here.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness, is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness

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