Mental Health Coverage Parity Remains Out of Reach, Survey Says

Out-of-network use of mental health providers for US patients was many times higher than use for medical and surgical treatment—nearly 20 times more for certain behavioral inpatient care—according to a new study that signals mental health benefits parity is still far from a reality.

In-network office visit reimbursement was also 22% higher on average for medical and surgical clinicians than office visits with behavioral clinicians. Reimbursements are the “key levers” that health plans use to encourage in-network participation, the study from nonprofit RTI International said.

“Provider shortages do not explain the disparities in out-of-network utilization and reimbursement,” said the study ...