Summary
Contrary to pessimism about the fiscal burden of parity, a recently published study conducted by the Parity Evaluation Research Team showed that parity implementation, when coupled with care management, did not lead to higher costs or increased use of services and that, when participants became ill, they paid less.1 These findings are compelling, as the study was a controlled evaluation of the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, a large system that includes mandated parity requirements. The parity law extension is a step in the right direction, hut is limited in that it does not apply to benefits for substance abuse or chemical dependency, includes a small employer exemption (fewer than 50 employees), and has an increased cost exemption (if application of the parity provision results in an increased cost of at least 1% to a group health plan). Yet a recent study commissioned by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services shows that providing mental health and substance abuse coverage on par with other health coverage can achieve greater fairness and improved insurance protection without increasing healthcare costs.
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Researching a Better Future
Recent studies highlight the value of behavioral health treatment-and fair access to it
Several important behavioral Healthcare studies made headlines during the first half of the year. Among them were the latest phases of the Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE) and the Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D) study, along with an evaluation of parity in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.Behavioral Healthcare asked several thought leaders to share their insights on this research, which provides important findings tor both clinical care and public policy. Interestingly, all the authors found a common connection among the studies, which they discuss below.Real-World Implicationsby Sandra Wilkniss, PhD, and Mark Amdur, MDIn the past six months, behavioral healthcare has seen broadly influential, highly publicized outcomes in both medical research and public health policy. These "real-world" studies have implications for improving behavioral healthcare nationwide...See the full content of this document
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