FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 2, 2023
Contact: Emma Bittner
(972) 510-3395 | Emma.Bittner@younginvincibles.org

Young Invincibles Leads Letter in Support of  Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act

(Washington, DC) – Today, Young Invincibles submitted an official comment letter in support of the Biden-Harris administration’s Mental Health Parity and the Addiction Equity Act. The letter outlines the mental health crisis young people are experiencing and applauds this important effort by the administration to improve mental health coverage. 

This plan builds upon the 1996 Mental Health Parity Act, which prevented annual or lifetime dollar limits on mental health benefits. Despite amendments to the act in 2008 and 2020, there are still loopholes and a lack of compliance by insurance companies. In response, the Administration proposed a rule that requires insurers to cover mental health and addiction services as comprehensively as physical care. Should the rule be finalized, insurance companies will have to reevaluate their mental health provider networks and how providers are reimbursed. Furthermore, they will have to change their prior authorization processes for mental health, so as to not make them a barrier to accessing care for patients.

Providing comprehensive mental health and addiction care is necessary to address the mental health crisis. The costs and barriers to these services are a significant barrier that prevents young adults from accessing care.

Young Invincibles, and over 700 partners and advocates who have signed onto the letter, support this very important step in improving mental health parity nationwide and look forward to supporting more policies that improve the access and affordability of mental health care.

You can read the entire letter here.

In response, Martha Sanchez, Director of Health Care Policy and Advocacy at Young Invincibles, said: 

“This is a critical step forward in increasing access to comprehensive mental health services. For far too long, this critical coverage has come with hefty price tags, and insurance companies have failed to provide affordable options and decent provider networks for patients. One-in-five adults has a mental illness, and significantly reducing costs to these resources will exponentially benefit young adults nationwide.

Young Invincibles is excited to see the administration prioritize and invest in mental health and addiction care. Accessing mental health should be as easy and affordable as accessing a primary care physician for routine health management. Mental health is just as important as physical health and we are thrilled to see the Administration acknowledging its importance.”

 

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Young Invincibles (YI) is a national advocacy and policy nonprofit organization focused on amplifying the voice of young people in the political process at the local, state, and federal levels. YI focuses on issues impacting young adults ages 18 to 34 in higher education, health care, economic security, and civic engagement. Our offices include Washington, D.C., California, Colorado, Illinois, New York, and Texas. For more information, please contact Emma Bittner at (972) 510-3395 or emma.bittner@younginvincibles.org