Behavioral Health Parity

In 2022, Georgians for a Healthy Future (GHF) and a coalition of partners worked with state lawmakers to pass House Bill 1013, the Georgia Mental Health Parity Act. This law requires many private health insurance plans and all Medicaid health insurers in Georgia to follow the federal parity law and rules, gives state agencies better tools to check whether insurers are complying and impose consequences if they are not, and strengthens protections for consumers who need their health insurance to pay for MH/SUD treatment.

GHF is working with state leaders, insurance companies, and community partners to make parity real for Georgians. Our work includes evaluating and sharing whether insurance companies are following the law, monitoring and sharing how state agencies enforce the law, educating Georgians about their insurance rights and how to use them, identifying barriers that still prevent people from getting MH/SUD care, and lifting up stories from Georgians who have faced coverage problems.

GHF built the Georgia Mental Health Parity Dashboard so that consumers and policymakers can see exactly where insurers are falling short — and hold them accountable. The dashboard tracks compliance across state-regulated private health plans, Medicaid, and PeachCare for Kids. It examines the rules that most directly affect whether people can get care: how insurers define medical necessity, set cost-sharing requirements, and apply prior authorization.