The Mental Health Parity And Addiction Act

Mental Health coverage prior to the Affordable Care Act was far to none. With about nearly one-third of currently covered individuals having no coverage for substance abuse disorder services and approximately 20% having no coverage for mental health services. Services such as outpatient therapy visits, impatient crisis intervention and stabilization were among many that were not offered. Since the Affordable Health Care Act has been passed more individuals are able to afford health insurance that were once uninsured. It has helped many individuals in being able to obtain medical services that were once inaccessible.

Substance abuse is a very widely known public epidemic in today's society. Many people are unfortunately plagued by this issue. According to Emedicinehealth.com (2012), “People abuse substances such as alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs for varied and complicated reasons, but it is clear that our society pays a significant cost,” (para. 1). People that are affected by substance abuse includes a very different range of people. Many that abuse the substances end up having health-related problems which in turn increases the need for health care. Other people that are affected by substance abuse are the family members and friends of the abusers because they have to deal with the person abusing the substances. Things that can be abused are

Drug use affects every sector of society, straining our economy, our healthcare and criminal justice systems, and endangering the futures of young people. This needs assessment is performed to identify what additional services might be needed to

Policy plays a key part in mental health care services available to the public. They can determine what options and treatments are available and how much an individual will pay for them. Recent policies including the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, the Affordable Care Act, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act work to expand access to coverage. It is important to know how policies play a role in the health care that individuals receive.

There is an epidemic of almost epic proportions in this wonderful nation called the United States. However, this epidemic is not only national; it is worldwide. And because of this epidemic there are other problems in society such as an increase in crime and prison overcrowding. The epidemic is that of Substance Abuse and Addiction. The penal systems of each state house more prisoners due to drug related crimes than any other. The statistics do not lie; they only tell the truth. Treatment instead of incarceration would be beneficial to the addict himself and to society as a whole. Evidence shows treatment would lower the amount of criminal activity due to substance abuse and addiction. Logic shows that if a problem is cured then the

There is no question about it – addiction is a problem. It’s talked about constantly on the news, social media, and even in our own homes. Considering the statistics, that’s not surprising; as of 2012, an estimated 22 million people over the age of 12 are addicted to drugs or alcohol (Friedman 387). The criminalization of the disease of addiction overloads our legal system, disrupts the lives of many families, and limits the success of those who could otherwise be productive members of society. The good news is that there are many different forms of treatment available, so recovery is possible for everyone. We need to

Even the most severely addicted individuals can participate in treatment; in the hopes of reducing their drug and alcohol use. Treatment programs with the higher success rates offer a combination of treatments. I will explore substance abuse prevention programs in this paper. I will summarize their goals, funding, and effectiveness.

In the United States, the rise in both illicit drug and alcohol abuse is continuing at an alarming rate. In 2009 alone, the United States saw 23.5 million people over the age of 12 needing treatment for drug or alcohol abuse (National Institute of Drug Abuse, 2011). Per the Drug Enforcement Administration, in the same year (2009), almost 32,000 arrests on drug related charges were carried out (Drug Enforcement Administration, 2015). Even with the threat of prison time, and most federal prisons being filled with inmates on drug and alcohol related charges, 46.4% in 2016 the use and abuse of these substances is still on the rise (Federal Bureau of Prisons, 2016). Because of this, and the seemingly ineffective incarceration system, the call for

The Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) was enacted on October 3, 2008 as sections 511 and 512 of the Tax Extenders and Alternative Minimum Tax Relief Act of 2008. MHPAEA amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Public Health Service Act (PHS Act), and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (Federal Register, 2013). The MHPAEA is an extension of the Mental Health Parity Act of 1996, which prohibited annual or aggregate lifetime financial limits on mental health coverage by addressing other restrictions, such as limits on outpatient visits or inpatient days (DOL, 2010). MHPAEA expands parity requirements to treatment limitations, financial requirements, and in- and out-of-network covered benefits (Smaldone, 2010). It also expands the opportunity of mental health parity requirements at the federal level and includes substance use disorders within its scope. Prior to 1996, health insurance coverage for mental illness had historically been less generous than that of other physical illness (Sarata, 2011). Mental health parity is a response to this disparity in insurance coverage, and generally refers to the concept that health insurance coverage for mental health services should be offered equally with covered medical and surgical benefits (Smaldone, 2010).

This is one of the many provisions. The policy states that, “Preventing drug use before it begins is a cost-effective, common-sense way to build safe and healthy communities” (National Drug Control Strategy 2010, p. 1). This policy mostly focuses on young people because once a person is 21 and does not develop an addiction, it is unlikely an addiction will occur (National Drug Control Strategy 2010). To strengthen these efforts, the Obama Administration focuses on educating young people on the dangers of drugs and providing mentoring initiatives (National Drug Control Strategy 2010). They also want to expand the research on the drugs that young people are using as well as allowing states to create their own penalties and laws around the use

These beliefs include: bad kids’ use drugs, goods kids’ do not use drugs, and individuals suffering from addictions are hopeless, fragile, and sinners. The treatment and prevention for addiction has struggled to receive sufficient funding from the government. The author believes without the financial support from the government, prevention campaigns and research involving effective new treatment methods is not plausible. The prevention campaigns help by creating additional awareness for children and adolescents about drugs, and the short and long term side effects drugs have on an individual’s body and mind. The reason for the lack of support from the government is due to a negative stigma on addicts. The negative stigma is that individuals suffering from addictions are choosing to cause harm to themselves, rather than being in need of help and support. When viewing the stigmas that the health insurance companies and the clinical teams have placed on treating individuals that are suffering from addictions. The health insurance companies feel that they are not obligated to treat individuals that are suffering from addictions. The reasoning following that is insurance companies believe that drug use is not technically viewed as an illness unless they are considered to be in crisis. Once an addict is in crisis the clinician may struggle to offer effective services to the client. When a client is tackling a

Some steps are already being taken by President Obama to reform the nation’s drug policy. The White House has proposed diversion plans that aide in substance abuse counselling and gives you an opportunity to give back to the community. These plans have already been implemented nationwide and are very successful. Diversion programs have brought the country millions of dollars, though, because individuals going through diversion are required to pay their way through it. That is counterproductive. Tax money should be allocated

“The latest United Nations Drug Control Program (UNDCP) results in their World Drug Report estimate that the extent of drug abuse in the world involves about 180 million people” (“Drug Use and Offending", 2015) that means about 180 million people in the world use illicit drugs and even with imprisonment there will never be a lasting fix. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s “National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 23.5 million persons aged 12 or older needed treatment for an illicit drug or alcohol abuse problem in 2009. Of these, only 2.6 million of those who needed treatment—received it at a specialty facility.” This could be a direct result of different reasons, conceivably the absence of cash to pay for treatment or the inaccessibility of the treatment itself. Authorizing all drugs and afterward offering free treatment could help take care of various issues of the drug war.

Drug and alcohol addiction is a very serious and widespread problem in America, and across the globe. Drug addiction is a constant craving, seeking, and using of a substance, despite the negative consequences it may have on the addict or those around them. When drug use becomes more frequent, it is considered drug abuse. Once an individual’s drug abuse is can no longer be controlled, and they are using the drug to get through everyday life, it beomes an addiction. A person on drugs has an altered way of thinking, behaving, and perceiving. There are treatment facilities all over the world dedicated to help those suffering with drug addictions. All

This policy brief will highlight the real costs of our “Zero Tolerance” approach to the issue of drug abuse and propose a number of policy recommendations, which will decrease the rates of drug addiction and drug-related pathologies.