Behavioral Health Insurance Has Not Yet Achieved Parity

“Parity” refers to insurance coverage for behavioral health that is equivalent to physical health coverage. For decades, developing parity has been a key component of the expansion of affordable, comprehensive health insurance to ensure access to high-quality care. Yet despite recent parity improvements, access to and use of behavioral health services lag behind physical health services – all while behavioral health outcomes have continued to worsen over the last 20 years. Achieving true parity could help address the serious behavioral health issues facing the country.