Wisconsin Lawmakers Introduce Parity Legislation

Wisconsin Lawmakers Introduce Parity Legislation
October 13, 2009

News Summary

A bill introduced in the Wisconsin legislature would close a major loophole and require more health plans to include parity coverage of addiction and mental health, WKOW-TV reported Oct. 7.

Federal law currently mandates that employers with 51 or more workers must cover behavioral-health conditions on par with other ailments if they provide health insurance. The Wisconsin Mental Health and Substance Abuse Parity Act, sponsored by Sen. Dave Hansen and Rep. Sandy Pasch, would extend the requirement to firms that have 50 or fewer employees.

The Milwaukee Addiction Treatment Initiative recently published a survey showing that 65 percent of city residents supported extending parity to all workers, and supporters said that the mandate would only add about $2 to the cost of monthly health-insurance premiums.

COMMENTS ON THIS ARTICLE:

Posted by David Macmaster on 14 Oct 09 09:57 AM EDT

In a state that tends to protect its alcohol and tobacco industry business activities it will be a major step forward if this parity bill is passed into law. The problem is that the state government tends to resist adequately funding public health programs that address the "downside" that comes from the sale of tobacco and alcohol. Hopefully this new law and the diversion of sufficient funds from the proposed increase alcohol and recently increased tobacco taxes will fund the state's programs that reduce harm from alcohol and tobacco. Mental health and substance abuse are related so parity will be a benefit to both populations.

Posted by Cyndy Viars on 29 Oct 09 06:34 PM EDT

I think that this is certainly a good start! My further concern is that employers can opt out of COBRA if they have 20 or fewer full time employees and at a very fragile time, unemployed workers are left without mental health and addiction coverage.

Posted by Linda Brauer on 10 Nov 09 10:19 PM EST

I agree with Cyndy on requiring COBRA for all group plans. I'm paying over $1000 a month for it, so didn't realize it cost employers anything. It sounds like Wisconsin is on track with implementing Parity. It was great when I lived in Milwaukee to learn that all mental health plans in Wisconsin were required to cover the first $500 of a mental health assessment. My child was three when diagnosed, and is 27 now. It was not too young. Early diagnosis made all the difference. I would also hope that as states implement Parity that they would not exclude any specific diagnosis, because it's the degree of impairment that determines their need for services, not their diagnosis.

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