Within the area of parity for mental health insurance coverage, the Center works closely with NIMH to assure effective coordination and avoid duplication. CMHS and NIMH share results of studies related to mental health insurance coverage and are cooperating in improving the quality of actuarial estimates of policy options for increasing such coverage.
Parity is an important public health issue.
People in need who are unable to obtain services or who exhaust benefits available through their own health insurance often seek help from the public system. As private coverage declines, the burden on the public system increases. Some receive help that is too little or too late, and care is disjointed, discontinuous, uncoordinated, and inconsistent. Issues of parity also are not limited to mental disorders. First, the agency is tracking trends in insurance coverage.