Mental Health Parity
What does the phrase “mental health parity” mean?
Getting insurance to cover mental health treatment equal to medical treatment
What is the other name that the Affordable Care Act is commonly known by?
ObamaCare
True or False: Each state funds Medicaid entirely out of their own budget?
False: it is jointly funded by federal and state funds
This term refers to the use of electronic information and telecommunications technology to support long‑distance clinical care, patient education, and public health
Telehealth
What year did the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) take effect?
2010
Because of the Affordable Care Act, up to what age can you stay on a parent’s health insurance?
26
What are the main qualifiers to be eligible for Medicaid?
Income or Disability
Telehealth satisfaction in the U.S. has remained above this percentage since 2020.
86%
True or false: The MHPAEA of 2008 required insurance companies to cover mental health treatment
false: it just required that the treatment was no less restrictive than that of medical treatment
The Affordable Care Act required that people not be denied coverage for what kind of conditions?
pre-existing
True or False: The rate of receiving treatment for mental illness is increasing?
True: more people are experiencing mental illness, but the % of Medicaid recipients receiving treatment is increasing
The expiration of these COVID‑19 era flexibilities in 2025 created major disruptions in telehealth access, especially for Medicare recipients.
Medicare telehealth waivers
What type of treatment was excluded in the Mental Health Parity Act of 1996 and added to the MHPAEA of 2008?
substance use treatment
The Affordable care act reduced the amount of people going without mental healthcare because of cost by what fraction?
one-third
What are some of the proposed changes for enrollees in the Healthy Michigan Plan (in the OBBBA)?
work requirements, 6-month eligibility checks, reduced retroactive coverage
In Michigan, this percentage of behavioral/mental health visits are now delivered via telehealth — significantly higher than primary care’s 9%
44%
What type(s) of coverage were required to have parity under the MHPAEA, but not the Mental Health Parity Act?
co-pays, co-insurance, and deductibles - cost-sharing elements
The Affordable Care Act expanded Medicaid eligibility to what percentage of the federal poverty line?
138%
In Michigan, what % of the population is covered by Medicaid?
24%
Despite telehealth’s growth, this proportion of Americans reported distrusting telehealth in 2025, driven partly by concerns about AI and data privacy
28%