Oct 27, 2016
White House Parity Task Force Releases Recommendations
NAATP Member Recommendations Included
Today the White House released the recommendations and action steps from its Parity Task Force. The report is a collaborative effort between the White House, Office of National Drug Control Policy, Department of Labor, Department of Health and Human Services, and SAMSHA.
The National Association of Treatment Providers is pleased that the Task Force positively responded to the 1100 comments from the addiction treatment field. We appreciate their time and commitment to making the Mental Health and Addiction Parity Act viable through effective enforcement.
“The White House response to NAATP Treatment Provider Members’ recommendations regarding transparency, assistance to states for education and enforcement, and compliance audits and potential penalties for violations is especially gratifying” according to NAATP Executive Director, Marvin Ventrell.
We are grateful to our members who took the time to respond to our request to submit comments, especially those who included specific examples of real life violations. The response was overwhelming and impossible for the Task Force to ignore.
NAATP will continue to work with allies in the field to push for full implementation as a new administration moves into power.
To view the Final Report and Fact Sheet on Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Parity Task Force visit this HHS.gov page.
Mark Dunn
NAATP Public Policy Representative
Washington, DC
