Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008

Executive Summary

This issue brief discusses the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) and the final regulations for the MHPAEA. This issue brief provides information on the mental health parity generally, how parity is measured under the MHPAEA, transparency requirements, enforcement, and how the MHPAEA provisions interact with the Affordable Care Act, CHIP, and Medicaid managed care organizations. The issue brief also discusses some of the limits to mental health parity and potential areas of advocacy.