WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) applauded recent data revealing that the Affordable Care Act is helping to expand access to both mental health care and substance abuse treatment for more than two million Ohioans. This represents one of the largest expansions of mental health and substance use coverage in a generation.

“The health law’s expanded mental health and substance use disorder benefits will save lives,” Brown said. “With approximately one in five adults experiencing mental illness in any given year, it’s critical that Ohioans with mental health or substance abuse problems can get the treatment they need, without worrying about whether they can afford the services. This is just one more example of the ways the health law has benefitted millions of Ohioans.”

Because of the health care law, for the first time insurance companies in the individual and small group market are required to cover mental health and substance use disorder services as one of ten categories of essential health benefits. And just as important, insurance companies must cover these services at parity with medical and surgical benefits. In other words, things like out-of-pocket costs for behavioral health services must generally be comparable to coverage for medical and surgical care.

One in five adults experience mental illness in any given year. While most of these conditions can be successfully treated so that a person can get back to a full and vibrant life, those with mental illness too often cannot access needed treatment if they do not have health insurance that covers mental health services. The Affordable Care Act requires most health plans to cover recommended preventive services like depression screenings for adults and behavioral assessments for children at no cost to consumers. And, because of the law, starting in 2014 insurers will not be able to deny coverage or charge individuals more due to pre-existing conditions, including mental illness.

In addition to the 2,079,000 Ohioans who will gain expanded mental health and substance use disorder benefits and federal parity protections, the expansion will also benefit 60 million Americans throughout the nation.

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