Equity in managed care for mental disorders

Abstract

Equity of mental health care relative to general medical care is a long-standing policy issue in the mental health field, which in recent years has been debated as an issue of parity in insurance benefits. The shift toward managed mental health care makes the parity debate less controversial, because feared cost increases are an unlikely consequence under managed care. We argue, however, that managed care also makes benefit parity less relevant to the goals of achieving fairness in the delivery of mental health services. A broader policy perspective is required to encompass concerns about fairness under managed care.