Final answer:
The Mental Health Parity Act, enacted under PPACA, requires health insurance plans to provide equal coverage for mental health and substance use disorder services as they do for medical and surgical services.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Mental Health Parity Act, enacted under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), is a federal law that requires health insurance plans to provide equal coverage for mental health and substance use disorder services as they do for medical and surgical services.
Previously, insurance plans often had more restrictions and higher out-of-pocket costs for mental health services compared to other medical services. The Mental Health Parity Act ensures that individuals have access to necessary mental health treatments without facing discriminatory limitations.
For example, under the law, insurance plans cannot impose higher copayments or stricter limitations on the number of mental health therapy sessions compared to medical visits.