Background

What is parity?

“The state or condition of being equal”

In 1961, President Kennedy called on the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) to require coverage of psychiatric illnesses

In 1975, the FEHBP plans were “allowed to scale back their mental health benefits”

The first federal mental health parity legislation was introduced in 1992 by two senators

In 1996, the Mental Health Parity Act was passed, which required parity and protected individuals suffering from mental health disorders

In 2008, the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act was passed

A recent extension on the MHPAEA is the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and requires small group and individual market plans to abide by the federal parity regulations