Georgia is one of the lowest-ranked states in terms of access to mental health treatment, and the bill would enact legislative and funding changes to improve access and coverage, according to Georgia Public Broadcasting.
A 2019 commission’s review of the state’s mental health system cited parity as a central point to other issues the commission found.
Federal mental health parity laws largely rely on states for enforcement, and advocates are calling on lawmakers to ramp it up.
“Georgia has not done anything to determine if group health plans and insurers in the state are following the law,” Abdul Henderson, executive director of Mental Health America of Georgia, said to lawmakers, according to Georgia Public Broadcasting. “I have a saying regarding parity, and it goes, ‘In states where there is no enforcement, you will find non-compliance.’”
