What Oregon's parity law can tell us about the federal Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act and spending on substance abuse treatment services.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA) requires commercial group health plans offering coverage for mental health and substance abuse services to offer those services at a level that is no more restrictive than for medical-surgical services. The MHPAEA is notable in restricting the extent to which health plans can use managed care tools on the behavioral health benefit. The only precedent for this approach is Oregon's 2007 state parity law. This study aims to provide evidence on the effect of comprehensive parity on utilization and expenditures for substance abuse treatment services.

Methods

A difference-in-difference analysis compared individuals in five Oregon commercial plans (n=103,820) from 2005 to

SUBMITTER: McConnell KJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3380182 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature