LANSING, Mich. — Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed new legislation Tuesday that will provide more equitable insurance coverage of mental health and substance abuse treatments.
Senate Bill 27 requires insurers to to cover mental health and substance abuse treatments at the same level as physical health services.
“Every person in Michigan deserves access to mental and physical healthcare," said Whitmer. “Today, I am proud to be signing a commonsense, bipartisan bill to require insurers to provide equal coverage for mental health and substance use disorder treatments, just as they do for physical health treatments. Getting this done will ensure Michiganders get the care they need and close loopholes that have allowed providers to avoid covering these essential services.”
Whitmer first proposed parity in coverage for mental health and substance abuse services in her 2022 State of the State Address.
The new law will require that insurance companies not place predominant financial requirements or quantitative treatment limitations on mental health or substance abuse services that are greater than their physical health services.
This essentially means that deductibles, copayments, coinsurance and out-of-pocket maximums for mental health and substance abuse services can't be greater than physical health services.
The law will also place restrictions on limiting treatment in terms of frequency of treatment, number of visits, days of coverage, days in a waiting period, or other similar limits on the scope or duration of treatment.
“The signage of Senate Bill 27—Michigan's first mental health parity law that reiterates the verbiage of the Federal Mental Health Parity and Addictions Act of 2008—is a signal to all of us in this state that the tide is turning,” said Marianne Huff, president and CEO of the Mental Health Association of Michigan. “In other words, mental health and addiction treatment is viewed as being as vital as physical healthcare. There is understanding in 2024 that the brain, the mind and the body are a unified system.”
The bill passed with bipartisan support in both the Michigan House and Senate.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Watch 13 ON YOUR SIDE for free on Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV and on your phone.
