Comprehensive State Mental Health Parity Laws Linked To Better Access To Youth Mental Health Care

Youth more often get the psychiatric care they need if they live in states that mandate insurance coverage for child mental and behavioral health (MBH) care at parity with medical and surgical services. Parents and caregivers were 20% less likely to say they had trouble obtaining mental health services for a child if they lived in states with comprehensive laws around mental and behavioral health insurance coverage.

Parent attitudes about the ease of obtaining treatment for a youth with MBH conditions were assessed in a survey of nearly 30,000 parent/caregivers for youth with MBH. About 12.4% said . . .