Our Priorities

Parity and Equity

In 2008, President Bush signed the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) into law. The MHPAEA requires health insurers and group health plans to provide the same level of benefits for mental and/or substance use treatment as they do for medical/surgical care. The MHPAEA has since been expanded to ensure that qualified plans offered on the Health Insurance Marketplace cover many behavioral health treatments and services. Its goal is to eliminate restrictions on mental health and substance use coverage – like annual visit limits, higher copayments, separate deductibles, and rules on how care is managed (such as pre-authorizations, fail first policies, or medical necessity reviews).

A year and a half later, in March 2010, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) became law. In the years since full implementation of the ACA, the availability and scope of coverage for mental and substance use disorder treatments have been further enhanced through regulations. In December 2016, Congress built on this foundation through enactment of the 21st Century Cures Act, which directs more funding to treatment for mental and substance use disorders.

More recently, in 2022, Georgia took a significant step towards filling remaining gaps in coverage with the passage of the Georgia Mental Health Parity Act (HB1013), in which Mental Health America of Georgia played a significant role. The legislation builds on the MHPAEA and establishes additional state-level requirements and oversight intended to help ensure that insurers comply with parity protections.

Turning Policy Into Access

Although Georgia has made significant progress in mental health parity and equity in recent years, we must continue to address gaps in coverage and hold insurers that do not comply accountable.

Georgia has made significant process in behavioral health policy. However, there is still much to do. We must ensure that Georgia’s mental health policies translate into meaningful access to quality, affordable care for all Georgians. This means advocating for the effective implementation and oversight of mental health legislation, responsible and equitable use of public funding, and strong enforcement of parity protections so that coverage and services are available when and where people need them.

Investment in Early Intervention/Prevention

Early intervention saves lives, results in better outcomes, and has been shown to create a lower financial burden on both the economy and individuals.

Invest in prevention and early intervention to address mental health needs before they become crises. Georgians must advocate for expanded access to mental health education, screening, early treatment, and youth services, recognizing that early support can improve long-term outcomes while reducing the personal and economic costs of untreated mental health needs.

Integration of Health Care

Mental health should be treated the same as physical health, both in terms of access to care and how individuals think about receiving care.

Mental healthcare should be a routine and integrated part of healthcare. We promote the integration of behavioral health into primary care, hospitals, and other healthcare settings to make mental health services easier to access, reduce stigma, and ensure that mental health is treated as an essential component of overall health and well-being.

Increased Services for At-Risk Populations

Georgia is an incredibly diverse state, and we must ensure that mental health services consider individuals’ unique experiences and backgrounds.

In order to reach as many people as possible, it is important to expand accessible, culturally sensitive mental health services for Georgians facing heightened barriers to care. Georgians need targeted investments and policies that address the unique needs of youth, older adults, veterans, LGBTQ+, people who are incarcerated or returning to their communities, and any other populations disproportionately affected by gaps in mental health services.