Newsletter Articles | March 1, 2006
Mental Health Parity Causes No Cost Increase in Federal Employee Health Benefit Program
OPEN MINDS, The Behavioral Health & Social Service Industry Analyst
Industry News
Two years after the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program (FEHBP) instituted parity for mental health and substance abuse services, overall program costs and program use rose at the same rate as similar large employer health plans without parity. During the two-year period, the proportion of people accessing and using mental health services rose by 1.35% to 2.75% compared to a two-year period prior to the change to parity. However, the cost of mental health services . . .