As somebody in long-term restoration and an advocate for these battling dependancy and psychological well being situations, I’ve seen numerous households shattered and lives misplaced as a result of desperately wanted care was out of attain. Typically, the barrier is not an absence of efficient therapies, however how insurance coverage protection for the thoughts is handled as much less necessary than for the physique. For this reason the present juncture relating to the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act is so essential, and why I urge President Trump to not simply protect however to boldly strengthen parity for all People.
The Psychological Well being Parity and Dependancy Fairness Act, a landmark 2008 bipartisan legislation, was meant to finish this discrimination. It requires medical insurance for psychological well being and substance use problems be no extra restrictive than for medical or surgical care. But, for tens of millions, this promise stays elusive. Insurers adeptly use opaque “non-quantitative remedy limitations” — like restrictive prior authorizations, unequal community adequacy and disparate reimbursement charges — to disclaim or restrict care.
In September 2024, a final rule from the previous administration aimed to shut loopholes and improve enforcement. Nonetheless, after a January 2025 lawsuit, the Trump administration announced in May a pause on imposing the 2024 rule. It’s now reconsidering, modifying and even rescinding the ultimate rule.
Whereas some see this pause as a setback, I see it as a pivotal second — a possibility for President Trump to champion psychological well being and dependancy parity with unprecedented power, actually making America wholesome once more. This is not about extra burdensome regulation; it is about smarter, fairer guidelines that save lives and cash.
The Trump administration has laid groundwork for this. In his first time period, Trump signed Executive Order 13877, “Improving Price and Quality Transparency in American Healthcare to Put Patients First,” noting “opaque pricing buildings might profit highly effective particular curiosity teams…however they often depart sufferers and taxpayers worse off.” This led to the 2020 Transparency in Coverage Final Rule, forcing insurers to reveal precise pricing.
Extra lately, the president’s February 2025 Executive Order 14221, “Making America Healthy Again by Empowering Patients with Clear, Accurate, and Actionable Healthcare Pricing Information,” doubled down, stating, “For a lot too lengthy, costs have been hidden from sufferers and employers … [allowing] highly effective entities … to function with inadequate accountability,” This govt order directs companies to crack down on evasive pricing and reinvigorate Transparency in Protection Rule enforcement, mandating public disclosure of precise costs and standardized information.
Right here lies the highly effective convergence: The president’s drive for insurer transparency is vital to unlocking true psychological well being parity. Discriminatory practices thrive in darkness. When insurers should convey their psychological well being supplier reimbursement charges, community adequacy requirements, and dependancy remedy prior authorization approval charges into daylight — alongside medical/surgical information — disparities change into simple and indefensible.
As The Kennedy Forum lately stated, “Sturdy parity implementation will help the Administration’s targets to scale back wasteful spending, promote transparency and effectivity, and Make America Wholesome Once more. The Administration’s actions to make medical insurance information clear and actionable also can advance parity, offering insights into supplier entry, service protection, and reimbursement points.” They famous this might “proceed President Trump’s legacy from his first time period, when he superior parity implementation and signed into legislation the bipartisan statute constructing on parity.”
That is President Trump’s likelihood to go additional than any administration. As a substitute of merely tweaking or reinstating the 2024 rule, he should direct the departments of Well being and Human Companies, Labor and Treasury to craft even stronger parity rules. These new guidelines ought to explicitly combine the sturdy transparency mandates from his govt orders.
Think about insurers compelled to publicly disclose full non-quantitative remedy limitations analyses in a standardized format, displaying how they apply limitations to psychological well being advantages in comparison with bodily well being advantages. This information should embrace clear metrics on community adequacy, instantly evaluating in-network psychological well being specialists to medical specialists, alongside detailed reimbursement charges.
Moreover, essential information on declare denial charges, prior authorization timelines and out-of-network use for psychological versus medical providers have to be readily accessible and repeatedly up to date for public scrutiny.
By leveraging the president’s championed transparency, he can create a largely self-enforcing parity framework. Public publicity of discrimination will stress insurers to adjust to the legislation’s spirit and letter, decreasing future want for pricey authorities enforcement. It empowers customers, employers and researchers to carry insurers accountable.
This strategy is about fiscal accountability and public well being. Untreated psychological sickness value our nation tons of of billions yearly (some estimates strategy almost $477.5 billion in 2024) in misplaced productiveness, elevated well being care spending and felony justice involvement. Guaranteeing entry to care is an funding yielding more healthy households, productive communities and a stronger nation.
The pause on the 2024 Parity Remaining Rule, whereas regarding, generally is a strategic reset — a possibility for decisive management, making President Trump’s transparency agenda the engine for true psychological well being parity. Whereas companies have been tasked by EO 14221 to behave by late Could on transparency enforcement, the president’s direct intervention now can guarantee transparency and parity transfer ahead collectively.
President Trump has typically spoken of tackling the overdose disaster and nationwide well being challenges. True psychological well being and dependancy parity is central to that mission. It means a treatable mind sickness faces no larger limitations than a treatable physique sickness. The president ought to construct on his well being care transparency legacy and ship a transformative victory for tens of millions. Trump should seize this second to champion a brand new period of accountability. Guarantee “Make America Wholesome Once more” unequivocally contains the thoughts. The lives of numerous People cling within the steadiness.
Ryan Hampton is a nationwide dependancy restoration advocate and creator of two bestselling books on the overdose disaster: “American Fix” and “Unsettled.” His police e book is “Fentanyl Nation.”