Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Parity Task Force Announces New Actions and Recommendations

Today, the White House announced that the federal Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Parity Task Force released its final report. In the final report [PDF – 947 KB], the Task Force included a series of actions and recommendations to help ensure better implementation of parity; help consumers, providers, and plans understand how parity works; and ensure appropriate oversight and enforcement of parity protections. These steps are based on input the Task Force received through a series of listening sessions held between March and October, and through the more than 1,100 public comments the Task Force received from individuals with mental health and substance use disorders, families, their providers, advocates, and other stakeholders.

As part of this Task Force, SAMHSA and the Department of Labor have released a Consumer Guide to Disclosure Rights: Making the Most of Your Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Benefits to help consumers, their representatives, and providers understand what type of information to ask for when inquiring about a plan's compliance with parity and to explain the various federal disclosure laws that also require disclosure of information related to parity.

Learn More and Access the Final Report