A key part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was the creation of “essential health benefits” that are required to be part of health insurance plans that meet the requirements of the ACA. And one of those essential health benefits are the preventive services that should be covered by such insurance plans WITHOUT additional cost to you if delivered by a doctor or other health care provider in the plan’s network of providers, including Mental /Behavioral Health services.

Mental Health Parity is about comparable treatment for people who need mental and behavioral health care. Both federal and Colorado law provide protections for consumers accessing mental/behavioral health services — requiring health insurance companies to cover services for mental/behavioral health conditions like they cover other medical conditions, like diabetes or heart disease — this is called “parity.” Parity laws prohibit health plans from being more restrictive with mental health, behavioral health, and substance use disorder benefits than they would be for medical and surgical benefits. Follow the links to more information about these important topics.

Learn more about Mental/Behavioral Health Parity HERE.

Learn more about preventative services HERE.