More than one in four American adults without health insurance has an addiction or mental health disorder, but two behavioral health associations have found that state government programs that expand coverage to the uninsured often fail to offer strong behavioral health service provisions, Medical News Today reported July 20.

A report from the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare and the National Alliance on Mental Illness found wide variation among states in the extent to which their programs for the uninsured cover behavioral illness. An examination of programs in 18 states found, for example, that while 60 percent of programs offer parity coverage for mental illness, only 28 percent do so for addiction disorders.

The extent of behavioral health benefits in programs for the uninsured has been a relatively hidden policy issue because efforts to reform Medicaid are often seen as meeting the needs of low-income persons with addiction and mental health problems. But the new report indicates that about one-third of people with incomes below the federal poverty level who have a substance use disorder, mental illness or co-occurring disorder are uninsured.

"It is distressing that there are insurance plans and healthcare reform initiatives that continue to discriminate against behavioral healthcare," said Linda Rosenberg, president and CEO of the National Council.

The report states that offering parity benefits in programs for the uninsured often falls short of guaranteeing access to services. The organizations advise state policy-makers to pay attention to other important factors in addition to parity, such as provider availability and the provision of evidence-based services.

The full report, which was supported by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is available at www.HealthcareforUninsured.org.