Medical Expense✓ Verified · outline & fact-checked · Sep 2026Difficulty 2/5
Under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, a group plan that offers mental health and substance use benefits must:
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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 that financial requirements and treatment limitations applied to mental health and substance use disorder benefits be no more restrictive than those applied to medical and surgical benefits. This parity principle covers deductibles, copayments, visit limits, and prior authorization rules. It does not force a plan to offer mental health benefits in the first place; it only equalizes treatment once the benefits are provided. This law is a named piece of the legislative-influence material under AH-III.B.4.
Why the other options are wrong
- B) MHPAEA does not mandate offering mental health benefits; it requires parity only when such benefits are offered.
- C) Capping mental health visits below medical visits would violate the parity requirement of equal treatment limitations.
- D) Excluding substance use treatment while offering other behavioral benefits would be an impermissible restriction.
Memory hook
Parity = mental health benefits must be treated as generously as surgery benefits.