requirements . To view State specific information visit
www . ncsl . org , and on the right hand side of the page enter " mental health parity " then select " State Laws Mandating or Regulating Mental Health Benefits ".)
Summary of MHPAEA Protections
The Mental Health Parity Act of 1996 ( MHPA ) provided that large group health plans cannot impose annual or lifetime dollar limits on mental health benefits that are less favorable than any such limits imposed on medical / surgical benefits .
MHPAEA preserves the MHPA protections and adds significant new protections , such as extending the parity requirements to substance use disorders . Although the law requires a general equivalence in the way MH / SUD and medical / surgical benefits are treated with respect to annual and lifetime dollar limits , financial requirements and treatment limitations , MHPAEA does NOT require large group health plans or health insurance issuers to cover MH / SUD benefits . The law ' s requirements apply only to large group health plans and health insurance issuers that choose to include MH / SUD benefits in their benefit packages . However , the Affordable Care Act builds on MHPAEA and requires coverage of mental health and substance use disorder services as one of ten EHB categories in nongrandfathered individual and small group plans .
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