Norcross, Fitzpatrick, Courtney Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Enforce Mental Health Parity, Hold Insurance Companies Accountable 

 
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Representatives Donald Norcross (NJ-01), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), and Joe Courtney (CT-02) introduced the Parity Enforcement Act, which expands the U.S. Department of Labor’s authority to hold health insurers and plan sponsors accountable for offering health plans that violate the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008. 

“America’s mental health and substance use disorder epidemic has plagued communities across the country for far too long. We’ve lost more Americans to the opioid epidemic than to the Vietnam War, and one in five adults in the United States have a mental illness,” said Congressman Norcross. “While mental health and substance use disorder parity is rightfully the law of the land, our enforcement mechanisms are severely lacking. Insurance companies can get away with not following parity laws, even though lives are on the line. We can and must do more.” 

“As the opioid epidemic and mental health crisis continue to devastate families across our nation, we must ensure that every American has access to lifesaving mental health and addiction treatment,” said Congressman Fitzpatrick. “The Parity Enforcement Act puts real accountability behind our promises, empowering the Department of Labor to crack down on bad actors and ensure that those in need receive the care they rightfully deserve.” 

“In New London in my district, unintentional overdose deaths in 2024 fell by 32 percent compared to 2021, highlighting the importance of access to timely and supportive addiction treatment.  While this is encouraging news, we cannot stop here. One loss in our community to addiction is too many,” said Congressman Courtney. “It’s more important than ever right now to make sure all Americans have access to effective mental health and addiction treatment—it’s one of the best ways we can stem the increase in addiction and overdose, and our bipartisan legislation will provide new authority to ensure employer sponsored insurance plans are following parity rules. I look forward to working with Congressmen Norcross and Fitzpatrick to advance the bipartisan Parity Enforcement Act.”  

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