‘The Broker Factor’ in Employer Perceptions of Parity
October 21, 2009 If the estimates of the cost of parity in coverage for treatment of mental illnesses and addictions are 1.0% or less, why are employers so opposed to parity legislation? I’ve always thought that the opposition was largely around mandates in general—employers oppose any mandates for their health insurance coverage on general principle. However, Patrick Gauthier, a senior consultant with Palm Bay, California-based AHP Behavioral Health Consulting Group offered an interesting perspective on this issue—the 'broker factor'. He wrote, "There is a factor or variable in this cost issue that has to be . . .
