The Mental Health Parity Index is out, and it starkly illustrates how patients across the country face greater barriers to accessing mental health/substance use disorder (MH/SUD) care compared with physical health care—even though Congress requires insurers to treat the two equally.Developed by The Kennedy Forum in partnership with the AMA and other organizations, the index compares network composition and reimbursement rates for MH/SUD services and physical health services among the nation’s four largest insurers: Aetna, BlueCross BlueShield, Cigna, and UnitedHealthcare.
Why It’s Relevant
Since 2008, health plans have been required by law to cover MH/SUD services no more strictly than they do physical health services. Yet patients have continued to face significant wait times, ghost networks, and cost sharing when trying to schedule MH/SUD care, often relying on more expensive out-of-network services when all is said and done.
By the Numbers
- In 42 states plus Washington, D.C., patients face a greater disparity in accessing in-network MH/SUD services compared with physical health services.
- Nationally, UnitedHealthcare has the greatest discrepancy, with 48% of the nation’s physical health providers (including both facilities and individuals) in its network, compared with only 20% of MH/SUD providers.
- All 50 states plus Washington, D.C., have lower payment levels for outpatient MH/SUD care compared with outpatient physical health care.
- Nationally, Cigna has the greatest discrepancy in its outpatient care reimbursement levels, reimbursing physical health services at 168% of the Medicare rate and MH/SUD care at just 91%.
The Other Side
Due to the complexity in the way that health care services are reimbursed in the United States, the index may not always capture the variability in the reimbursement structures of different commercial health insurers.
Takeaway Message
The data included in the index provide a valuable opportunity for policymakers, advocates, consumers, and insurers to visualize where the greatest disparities in MH/SUD and physical health coverage exist, according to a Kennedy Forum news release. “The Mental Health Parity Index makes it impossible to ignore where we stand and offers a powerful opportunity to intentionally shape how we track and deliver treatment,” Kennedy Forum co-founder Patrick J. Kennedy, co-author of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, said in the release.
Related Information
Source
The KennedyForum.org. New insurer data reveals significant gaps to in-network mental health care and treatment for substance use disorders when compared to physical health. Published April 14, 2026
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