CARD Stands with California Governor Newsom's Call for Enforcement of Mental Health Parity

WOODLAND HILLS, Calif., Jan. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Today, California Governor Gavin Newsom previewed his 2020-2021 budget, emphasizing his administration's commitment to ensuring equal access to health care for individuals with mental health diagnoses. The announcement reiterates Governor Newsom's longstanding pledge to enforce mental health parity laws, saying, "The Administration will work with health plans, providers, patient representatives, and other parties to update and strengthen enforcement of mental health parity laws, focusing on timely access to treatment, network adequacy, benefit design and plan policies."

State and federal mental health parity laws are critical to ensuring access to services for individuals affected by autism spectrum disorder. Both state and federal mental health parity laws prohibit health insurers and health plans from imposing limits on mental health services that are more restrictive than limits imposed on medical/surgical services. Historically, the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) and California's own mental health parity law have been key to ensuring access to treatment for the autism community.

"We welcome Governor Newsom's recognition of the importance of enforcing mental health parity laws," said CARD Vice President of Government Relations Julie Kornack. "These laws ensure equal access to mental health services, and meaningful enforcement is critical to our families and to addressing California's short and long-term goals for early intervention and comprehensive access to services and supports."

As a candidate for governor, Governor Newsom wrote of the importance of early intervention, saying, "It's hard to think of a public policy issue not impacted by the state of mental health care.... We need stricter enforcement of our mental health parity laws."

Today's announcement includes plans for a Behavioral Health Task Force to "review existing policies and programs and coordinate system changes to prevent and respond to the impacts of mental illness and substance abuse in California."

About Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD)

Center for Autism Related Disorders (CARD) is the world's largest provider of evidence-based autism treatment, providing services to individuals of all ages who are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at treatment centers around the globe. CARD was founded in 1990 by leading autism expert and clinical psychologist Doreen Granpeesheh, PhD, BCBA-D. CARD treats individuals with ASD using the principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA), which is empirically proven to be the most effective method for treating individuals with ASD and recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the US Surgeon General. For more information, visit http://www.centerforautism.com or call (855) 345-2273.

SOURCE Center for Autism and Related Disorders, LLC