reweave: merge 15 files via frontmatter union [auto]

domains/health/mental-health-reimbursement-27pct-gap-structural-access-barrier.md

@@ -10,9 +10,29 @@ agent: vida
 sourced_from: health/2026-04-30-rti-kennedy-forum-mental-health-reimbursement-27pct-gap.md
 scope: structural
 sourcer: RTI International / The Kennedy Forum
-supports: ["mhpaea-enforcement-closes-coverage-gaps-but-not-access-gaps-because-payers-differentially-treat-mental-health-versus-medical-reimbursement-rates", "the-mental-health-supply-gap-is-widening-not-closing-because-demand-outpaces-workforce-growth-and-technology-primarily-serves-the-already-served-rather-than-expanding-access", "mhpaea-enforcement-evolved-three-levels-coverage-access-metrics-reimbursement", "Colorado HB 25-1002 establishes the first state-level outcomes data testing authority for behavioral health parity enforcement, creating a potential natural experiment for access-metric enforcement", "Mental Health Parity Index", "The Mental Health Parity Index documents that 43 states have structural access disparities in commercial insurance driven by below-Medicare reimbursement rates, not just coverage design failures"]
+supports:
-related: ["mhpaea-enforcement-closes-coverage-gaps-but-not-access-gaps-because-payers-differentially-treat-mental-health-versus-medical-reimbursement-rates", "the-mental-health-supply-gap-is-widening-not-closing-because-demand-outpaces-workforce-growth-and-technology-primarily-serves-the-already-served-rather-than-expanding-access", "mental-health-reimbursement-27pct-gap-structural-access-barrier", "state-mhpaea-enforcement-addresses-procedural-parity-not-reimbursement-parity", "mhpaea-enforcement-evolved-three-levels-coverage-access-metrics-reimbursement", "Colorado HB 25-1002", "Reimbursement benchmarking tools are the necessary but missing infrastructure for outcome-based MHPAEA enforcement", "mental-health-parity-index-documents-43-states-structural-access-disparities-driven-by-below-medicare-reimbursement", "reimbursement-benchmarking-tools-necessary-missing-infrastructure-outcome-based-mhpaea-enforcement"]
+- mhpaea-enforcement-closes-coverage-gaps-but-not-access-gaps-because-payers-differentially-treat-mental-health-versus-medical-reimbursement-rates
-reweave_edges: ["Colorado HB 25-1002|related|2026-05-02", "Colorado HB 25-1002 establishes the first state-level outcomes data testing authority for behavioral health parity enforcement, creating a potential natural experiment for access-metric enforcement|supports|2026-05-02", "Mental Health Parity Index|supports|2026-05-02", "The Mental Health Parity Index documents that 43 states have structural access disparities in commercial insurance driven by below-Medicare reimbursement rates, not just coverage design failures|supports|2026-05-02", "Reimbursement benchmarking tools are the necessary but missing infrastructure for outcome-based MHPAEA enforcement|related|2026-05-02"]
+- the-mental-health-supply-gap-is-widening-not-closing-because-demand-outpaces-workforce-growth-and-technology-primarily-serves-the-already-served-rather-than-expanding-access
+- mhpaea-enforcement-evolved-three-levels-coverage-access-metrics-reimbursement
+- Colorado HB 25-1002 establishes the first state-level outcomes data testing authority for behavioral health parity enforcement, creating a potential natural experiment for access-metric enforcement
+- Mental Health Parity Index
+- The Mental Health Parity Index documents that 43 states have structural access disparities in commercial insurance driven by below-Medicare reimbursement rates, not just coverage design failures
+related:
+- mhpaea-enforcement-closes-coverage-gaps-but-not-access-gaps-because-payers-differentially-treat-mental-health-versus-medical-reimbursement-rates
+- the-mental-health-supply-gap-is-widening-not-closing-because-demand-outpaces-workforce-growth-and-technology-primarily-serves-the-already-served-rather-than-expanding-access
+- mental-health-reimbursement-27pct-gap-structural-access-barrier
+- state-mhpaea-enforcement-addresses-procedural-parity-not-reimbursement-parity
+- mhpaea-enforcement-evolved-three-levels-coverage-access-metrics-reimbursement
+- Colorado HB 25-1002
+- Reimbursement benchmarking tools are the necessary but missing infrastructure for outcome-based MHPAEA enforcement
+- mental-health-parity-index-documents-43-states-structural-access-disparities-driven-by-below-medicare-reimbursement
+- reimbursement-benchmarking-tools-necessary-missing-infrastructure-outcome-based-mhpaea-enforcement
+reweave_edges:
+- Colorado HB 25-1002|related|2026-05-02
+- Colorado HB 25-1002 establishes the first state-level outcomes data testing authority for behavioral health parity enforcement, creating a potential natural experiment for access-metric enforcement|supports|2026-05-02
+- Mental Health Parity Index|supports|2026-05-02
+- The Mental Health Parity Index documents that 43 states have structural access disparities in commercial insurance driven by below-Medicare reimbursement rates, not just coverage design failures|supports|2026-05-02
+- Reimbursement benchmarking tools are the necessary but missing infrastructure for outcome-based MHPAEA enforcement|related|2026-05-02
 ---
 
 # Mental health providers are reimbursed 27.1% less than medical/surgical providers for comparable services creating a structural access barrier that MHPAEA enforcement cannot address because the law requires comparable processes not comparable rates
@@ -37,4 +57,4 @@ Mental Health Parity Index (April 2026) provides first national tool measuring a
 
 **Source:** Kennedy Forum Mental Health Parity Index, April 2026
 
-Mental Health Parity Index reveals reimbursement gap is not a single 27.1% figure but a distribution ranging from 16% to 59% across the four largest US commercial insurers (Aetna, BCBS, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare). ALL 50 states demonstrate lower payment for outpatient MH/SUD treatment than physical health, with some insurers paying 59% below parity—a gap so extreme it's legally indefensible under MHPAEA regardless of enforcement status. The range width indicates massive insurer-to-insurer variation, meaning some plans are near parity while others are catastrophically misaligned.
+Mental Health Parity Index reveals reimbursement gap is not a single 27.1% figure but a distribution ranging from 16% to 59% across the four largest US commercial insurers (Aetna, BCBS, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare). ALL 50 states demonstrate lower payment for outpatient MH/SUD treatment than physical health, with some insurers paying 59% below parity—a gap so extreme it's legally indefensible under MHPAEA regardless of enforcement status. The range width indicates massive insurer-to-insurer variation, meaning some plans are near parity while others are catastrophically misaligned.

domains/health/trump-mhpaea-2024-rule-pause-suspends-outcome-data-enforcement-preserves-procedural-compliance.md

@@ -60,4 +60,4 @@ The paused 2024 rule's outcome data evaluation requirement was the specific mech
 
 **Source:** Kennedy Forum Mental Health Parity Index, April 2026
 
-As of April 2026, federal health officials confirmed they will not enforce the parity law (Trump administration pause of 2024 MHPAEA Final Rule enforcement). The Mental Health Parity Index is creating a parallel transparency and accountability infrastructure to compensate for federal enforcement withdrawal, using real-time data from in-network payer files to document violations state-by-state.
+As of April 2026, federal health officials confirmed they will not enforce the parity law (Trump administration pause of 2024 MHPAEA Final Rule enforcement). The Mental Health Parity Index is creating a parallel transparency and accountability infrastructure to compensate for federal enforcement withdrawal, using real-time data from in-network payer files to document violations state-by-state.