(iStock)THE PROGNOSISTen years ago, Congress passed a law requiring insurance companies to cover behavioral health conditions in the same way they covered physical conditions. In that decade, use of services for behavioral health, which includes substance abuse and mental-health conditions, went up 320 percent. Since the passage of two key laws making access to insurance easier, experts said they’ve seen a dramatic rise in treatment claims from those with substance abuse and mental health conditions. The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 largely mandated equal coverage for mental health and substance abuse services in the same way as medical and surgical procedures. FAIR Health president Robin Gelburd said the largest spike overall in the use of behavioral health services occurred between 2010 and 2011, following passage of the 2010 law that expanded health coverage to millions of Americans:FAIR Health found privately billed medical services for behavioral health diagnoses increased 320 percent from 2007 to 2017.

Source: Washington Post December 18, 2018 12:56 UTC