teleo-codex/entities/health/mental-health-parity-index.md

type	entity_type	name	domain	status	founded	launched_nationally	sponsors	website	tags	supports	reweave_edges
entity	research_program	Mental Health Parity Index	health	active	2024	2026-04-14	Kennedy Forum Third Horizon American Medical Association American Psychological Foundation Ballmer Group	https://www.thekennedyforum.org/focus-areas/coverage-parity/parity-index/	mental-health-parity MHPAEA reimbursement-rates network-adequacy monitoring-infrastructure	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 Reimbursement benchmarking tools are the necessary but missing infrastructure for outcome-based MHPAEA enforcement	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|supports|2026-05-02

Mental Health Parity Index

The Mental Health Parity Index is a national measurement tool that documents disparities in access to in-network mental health and substance use disorder treatment relative to physical health care. The Index benchmarks commercial insurance reimbursement rates against Medicare payment rates to identify the reimbursement differential driving network inadequacy.

Overview

Launched nationally on April 14, 2026, the Index provides state regulators, insurers, employers, providers, and policymakers with county-level visualization of how insurance contract data relate to access disparities. The tool was developed to enable outcome-based mental health parity enforcement independent of federal MHPAEA enforcement posture.

Key Findings

• 43 of 50 states show structural disparities in access to in-network MH/SUD treatment
• 7 in 10 counties face similar access disparities locally
• Majority of MH/SUD clinicians are paid below Medicare rates, documented as driver of lower in-network participation
• No state has effectively solved the reimbursement differential through current MHPAEA enforcement mechanisms

Methodology

The Index uses Medicare payment rates as the benchmark for evaluating commercial insurance reimbursement rates. This methodology enables detection of the mechanism driving network inadequacy—below-Medicare payment rates—which procedural compliance audits cannot capture.

Illinois Pilot

Illinois was the first state to conduct a deep-dive analysis, piloting the Index after signing a mental health parity bill into law in 2024. The pilot created a natural experiment for outcome-based enforcement at the state level.

Timeline

• 2024 — Illinois pilots the Index after signing mental health parity legislation
• 2026-04-14 — National launch by Kennedy Forum in collaboration with Third Horizon, AMA, American Psychological Foundation, and Ballmer Group