Action ItemCall Your Congressman today and tell him to vote yes for parity |
Campaign to Insure Mental Health and Addiction Equity
Fact Sheet
America’s Mental Health
o More than two-thirds of adults and half of children living with a
mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar or anxiety disorder, do not
receive the treatment and services they need.
o Over 32,000 people die from suicide each year. 90 percent of these deaths are attributable to an untreated or under-treated mental or substance abuse disorder, particularly depression.
o Mental and substance abuse disorders are highly treatable – especially when detected and treated early. In fact, treatments for depression, such as antidepressants and talk therapy, are successful over 80 percent of the time – more than treatments for many other medical conditions.
Cost of Untreated Mental Illness and Addiction to the Workplace and Society
o Mental illnesses cause more days of work loss and work impairment than many other chronic conditions, such as diabetes, asthma and arthritis.
o Approximately 217 million days of work are lost annually due to productivity decline related to mental and substance abuse disorders, costing U.S. employers $17 billion each year.
o The indirect workplace costs associated with mental and substance abuse disorders – employee turnover, lost productivity, absenteeism and disability – commonly meet or exceed direct treatment costs, and have been estimated to be as high as $105 billion annually.
o The burden on society as a whole – job loss, crime, homelessness, incarceration and hospitalization – costs taxpayers an estimated $113 billion annually in lost productivity, crime and welfare costs.
o People with mental and substance abuse disorders are at an increased risk for homelessness. In fact, 20-25 percent of homeless adults have lifetime histories of serious mental illness, half have histories of alcohol abuse or dependence and about one-third have histories of drug abuse or dependence.
o As a result of the many barriers to receiving appropriate treatment, thousands of children and adults with mental and substance abuse disorders end up in the U.S. justice system, which has become America’s de facto mental health system. Over half of all prison and jail inmates have a recent history or symptoms of a mental health problem. Seventy percent of youth in the juvenile justice system have mental health problems.
o Untreated parental mental or substance abuse disorders can negatively impact family life and impair children's development and emotional well-being. Children whose parents have a mental or substance abuse disorder are at risk of developing social, emotional and/or behavioral problems and may be at increased risk for problems at school, drug use and poor social relationships.
The Case for Federal Equity
o 20 percent of Americans will, at some point in their lives, develop depression or a related mood disorder. Without the protection of parity, we are all at risk of bearing most of the cost of needed mental health care.
o 38 states have enacted equity laws to fill the absence of federal legislation, though most fall short of providing comprehensive coverage. Strong federal equity legislation would level the playing field and ensure that all American workers and their families have access to the care they deserve.
“Mental Health America Attitudinal Survey” Equity Findings
o Nearly all Americans (96%) think health insurance should include coverage of mental health care. Only two percent said health insurance should not cover it.
o 89% assert that insurance plans should cover mental health treatments at the same level as treatments for general health problems. Only eight percent feel they should not cover them equally.
o A large majority (74%) believe that insurance plans should cover substance abuse treatments at the same levels as treatments for general health issues. 23% feel that they should not be covered equitably.
o The public demand for mental health equity is bipartisan –83% of Republicans and 92% of Democrats want equitable health insurance.
o Employees and employers alike (89% respectively) want health insurance coverage for mental health treatments to be equitable to general health treatments.
Costs of Implementing Parity
o According to the National Business Group on Health, a non-profit organization comprising over half of the Fortune 100 companies, a number of studies have found that equalizing specialty behavioral health and general medical benefits will either not increase total expenses at all or will increase them by only a very modest amount of total premium.
o A 2006 study released in the New England Journal of Medicine, which looked
at parity in the Federal Employee Health Benefits program, found that total
costs did not increase at all compared to non-parity plans. The only increase
following parity was a shift from patient out of pocket costs to plan costs,
indicating that they were better insured. The result in premium would be
about 1/2 percentage point.