US Medical Term · mental-health
Mental Health Parity
Paridad en salud mental
In 9 languages
| Language | Term |
|---|---|
| English | Mental Health Parity |
| Spanish (Español) | Paridad en salud mental |
| Chinese (中文) | 精神健康同等待遇 |
| Korean (한국어) | 정신 건강 형평성 |
| Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt) | Bình đẳng sức khỏe tâm thần |
| Filipino (Tagalog) | Mental health parity |
| Portuguese (Português) | Paridade em saúde mental |
| Thai (ภาษาไทย) | ความเท่าเทียมด้านสุขภาพจิต |
| Japanese (日本語) | メンタルヘルス均等待遇 |
What it means
Mental health parity refers to the legal requirement in the US that insurance plans treat mental health and substance use disorder benefits no less favorably than medical or surgical benefits. The federal Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) of 2008 and subsequent regulations prohibit insurers from imposing stricter limits on mental health and addiction care — such as lower visit limits, higher copays, or tighter prior authorization requirements — than those applied to comparable medical benefits. If you believe your insurer is applying more restrictive rules to your mental health benefits than to your medical benefits, you have the right to appeal. Your state insurance commissioner's office and CMS can assist with parity complaints.
How to say it
Sentences a patient might use with a doctor, nurse, pharmacist, or insurer:
I believe my insurer is violating mental health parity by limiting my therapy visits more than my medical visits.
Creo que mi aseguradora está violando la paridad de salud mental al limitar mis visitas de terapia más que mis visitas médicas.
Under mental health parity law, my plan cannot require a prior authorization for therapy that it doesn't require for other specialist visits.
Según la ley de paridad de salud mental, mi plan no puede exigir autorización previa para terapia que no exige para otras visitas a especialistas.
Who do I contact to file a mental health parity complaint against my insurance company?
¿A quién me dirijo para presentar una queja de paridad de salud mental contra mi compañía de seguros?
Where you'll see it
Related terms
Sources
Last reviewed: September 2026