The New Parity Rule: How it Affects Mental Health in America
How The Kennedy Forum plans to lead for maximum benefit
On Sept. 9, 2024, the Biden-Harris administration announced a significant improvement for mental health and substance use disorder care in the U.S. A new rule will enhance enforcement of the 2008 Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA), co-authored by Patrick J. Kennedy. This helps ensure that conditions of the mind and body are treated more equitably in our health care system, especially pertaining to mental health insurance coverage.
Our organization has been advocating for these improvements closely with agency and White House officials, building on more than a decade of work on mental health parity at the state and national level.
“The Kennedy Forum has relentlessly fought for greater parity in the U.S. with a drumbeat of policy leading to bold moments of change. This is one of them. Parity supports tens of millions Americans who seek help each year, strengthening our families, communities, workforce, and economy.” – Patrick J. Kennedy
The Kennedy Forum continues its leadership in Parity post-rule by aiding insurance companies in adopting these new standards, working with policy experts to measure implementation, and collaborating with corporations and other organizations.
Bookmark this page and stay connected with The Kennedy Forum as we develop news, analysis, and recommendations following this exciting development.
Latest Updates
New: Read Our Analysis of the Mental Health Parity Final Rule
Chief Policy Officer Nathaniel Counts takes a detailed look at the new parity rule — everything from how the regulation defines non-quantitative treatment limitations (NQTLs) to how it enforces penalties for non-compliance. Understand key language in the new rule.
Get the analysisSign Up to Receive the State Gold Medal Standards
The Kennedy Forum policy team is creating a tool specifically designed for state regulators that can alleviate bandwidth issues while empowering them in rulemaking. “We’re developing an easy-to-reference checklist that offers a clear guide about what to focus on in the near- and long-term,” Senior Director of Policy Lauren Finke said. “It provides a gold standard for equity that helps make the lift lighter for regulators.” Sign up to get the series as soon as it is released.
Sign Up for regulator guidelinesRequest to Join the State Parity Workgroup
The Kennedy Forum will resume monthly working sessions to collaborate with representatives from mental health organizations, institutions of higher education, nonprofits, the government, and other state level advocates to discuss the latest parity developments and how they influence the entire MH/SUD ecosystem. We encourage you to email info@thekennedyforum.org to be added to the invite list for future meetings.
Email a request
