Coalition sign-on letter calls on state leaders to codify key protections that preserve equal access to mental health and substance use care
SPRINGFIELD, IL – A coalition of leading mental health organizations, spearheaded by Inseparable, NAMI Illinois, and the Community Behavioral Healthcare Association of Illinois, today sent a joint letter to Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch and Senate President Don Harmon urging the General Assembly to codify current mental health and addiction parity protections into state law during the current legislative session. Illinoisans’ parity protections are under threat after the Trump Administration announced earlier this month that it plans to roll back important parity protections that were established under the Biden Administration. These protections make it easier to hold insurers accountable for following the federal Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA). Despite MHPAEA being federal law for more than 15 years, discriminatory barriers put in place by insurers hinder Illinois families’ ability to access mental health and substance use services. At a time when too many Illinoisans are still struggling to access mental health care, any rollback in parity rights would have real consequences: more denials, fewer in-network providers, longer wait times, and higher out-of-pocket costs.
The letter’s signatories include Inseparable, Access Living, Community Behavioral Healthcare Association of Illinois, CUREIl, Delve Psychotherapy of Chicago, Empower Mental Health, LLC, Illinois Association for Behavioral Health, Illinois Association of Rehabilitation Facilities, Illinois Psychiatric Society, Illinois Psychological Association, Illinois State Medical Society, Josselyn, Mental Health America of Illinois, NAMI Chicago, NAMI Illinois, NAMI, Northwest Suburbs of Chicago, NAMI South Suburbs of Chicago, and Trilogy.
Across Illinois, more than two million adults are living with a mental health condition, and over 530,000 people have reported not being able to access mental health care when they needed it. While MHPAEA has helped to increase access to mental health care, federal rollbacks put access to care at risk.
Illinois has already shown leadership on this issue. Governor J.B. Pritzker has championed key legislation like the Healthcare Protection Act, which bans prior authorization for inpatient mental health treatment and eliminates “junk insurance plans” that offer limited coverage. Last year, the Illinois Department of Insurance (IDOI) issued a bulletin to insurers making clear it would enforce MHPAEA to the fullest extent possible. Absent lawmaker action, however, IDOI will no longer be able to enforce parity protections that are formally rolled back. Enshrining these safeguards in state law would help ensure Illinois regulators can continue to hold insurers accountable, and residents can better access the care they need.
According to the letter, codifying the MHPAEA’s essential protections in Illinois state law would achieve the following:
- Guarantee real coverage. If a health plan covers “core treatments” for physical health conditions, it must also cover core treatments for mental health and substance use disorders, rather than promising coverage but failing to cover actual treatments.
- Ensure fair access. Insurance companies would be required to collect and evaluate data on how their coverage practices affect access to mental health and substance use disorder care relative to physical health care. Where data reveal disparities, companies would be required to take steps to ensure fairness.
- Prohibit discriminatory standards. The law would bar insurers from citing biased or discriminatory data when claiming parity compliance.
“For too long, Illinois residents have paid premiums and been told that mental health care is ‘covered’ but are unable to access the treatment they need,” said David Lloyd, Chief Policy Officer at Inseparable. “The General Assembly must act to protect Illinoisans from federal mental health parity rollbacks and ensure that the Illinois Department of Insurance does not lose vital tools to hold insurers accountable.”
Signatories are urging Illinois lawmakers to join the growing list of states protecting consumers’ access to mental health and substance use care and to pass legislation this session. The letter notes that Colorado and Washington enacted similar legislation last year and that Maryland Governor Wes Moore and Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger signed similar legislation this month. All four states enacted these policies with overwhelming bipartisan support, as well as the support from their state insurance regulators.