Florida, together with at least 12 other states in America, had the opportunity in 1998 to establish a policy for mental health parity vis-a-vis somatic health services. From the societal perspective, the purpose of the mental health parity proposal is to expand and improve the treatment of persons with severe mental illness. The benefits of such legislation will be a function of the following variables: 1) increased treatment, 2) treatment efficacy rates, and 3) social costs of severe mental illnesses. This report examines treatment efficacy, social and direct costs of treating mental illness, and benefits to the state of Florida upon passage of parity legislation.

The Report is provided as a pdf document. It is 68 pages long, has three appendices, including an overview of national parity legislation and its implications, limitations of the federal act, overview of national reports, an evaluation of the benefits for Florida, and a summary of state parity legislation and state benefit mandates.

More about the Institute where the report was authored.