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The MHPA, the Mental Health Parity Act, requires that any health insurance plan that includes mental health coverage must pay the same amount for mental health treatments as it pays for other types of medical treatment. This bill, approved in 1996, originally included an expiration date of September 30, 2001.

However, the law is still in force. In February 2007, the MHPA was extended for it fifth time, and the new expiration date is December 31, 2007. Everything points to this law being extended again in 2008.

The MHPA bill does not force insurers to include mental health treatments in their plans. But if they do, they must pay the same for mental health treatments as for other medical treatments, including surgical procedures.

Many people ask about California employee benefits, specifically, about mental health coverage such as therapy and psychiatrist appointments. There is no state or federal law that requires that their group health insurance cover mental health treatments. However, if the group plan does cover mental health, it cannot set a lower limit on payments than it sets on other types of treatment.

The federal government has a specialized agency to oversee insurance and pension plans. The agency is the Employee Benefits Security Administration, or ESBA. Most American workers are covered by benefit plans, and the ESBA enforces laws regarding these employee benefits and pension plans. The name of the agency itself shows that one of its main tasks is to handle violations in benefits plans. Today, more than 150 million workers are covered by ESBA plans.

Prior to 1996, a health insurance plan could pay less for mental health treatments than for other types of healthcare. For example, a play might pay up to $80,000 per year for surgery and only $1,200 per year for mental health treatment.

Today, any plan should pay the same amount for both types of treatment, under the law.

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