Medical Expense✓ Verified · outline & fact-checked · Sep 2026Difficulty 2/5
The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act requires group health plans that offer mental health or substance use benefits to:
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Answer & full 3-part explanation (select an option above, or peek)
Why A is correct
The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) requires group plans that provide mental health and substance use disorder benefits to offer them at parity with medical/surgical benefits: deductibles, copayments, coinsurance, and treatment limits (day or visit counts) may not be more restrictive than those applied to medical/surgical care. The law does not force plans to offer such benefits, but if offered, they must be comparable. It is listed among the federal laws affecting group medical coverage.
Why the other options are wrong
- B) Parity protections apply to all covered populations, not adults only; children's mental health coverage is equally protected.
- C) Parity requires comparability with medical/surgical benefits; it does not mandate unlimited, free mental health coverage.
- D) The law protects substance use disorder benefits; it does not require their exclusion.
Memory hook
Mental health benefits, if offered, must play by the same rules as physical care. Same deductible, same limits.