This Massachusetts Division of Health Care Finance and Policy report prepared for the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing analyzed the projected impact of mental health parity legislation in Massachusetts.

From the report:

House Bill 4423 (H. 4423) would expand the scope of the Massachusetts parity law enacted in 2000 (Chapter 80 of the Acts of 2000). Under the Commonwealth’s current law, benefit parity exists for nine “biologically-based” mental health conditions for adults and for any conditions in children (18 and under) that limit functioning and social interaction. Conditions specified under this law are covered without annual or lifetime benefit limits and are also at parity with regard to cost sharing. Other conditions not included in these requirements must be covered for at least 60 inpatient days and 24 outpatient visits. Currently, benefits for alcoholism and chemical dependency are mandated to include 30 days of inpatient treatment and $500 for outpatient treatment. H. 4423 extends this partial parity to full parity for both mental health and substance abuse services, requiring non-discriminatory coverage for the diagnosis and medically necessary treatment of mental health and substance abuse disorders as described in the most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of Mental Disorders.

Full report:  Review and Evaluation of Proposed Legislation Entitled: An Act Relative to Mental Health Parity House Bill No. 4423 (PDF | 487.92 KB)

Massachusetts Division of Health Care Finance and Policy. (2008). Review and evaluation of proposed legislation entitled: an act relative to mental health parity House bill no. 4423. Barry, Colleen, Highland, Jim, Nordahl, Kate.