Mental Health Parity

Mental health parity refers to the federal requirement that health insurance plans, including TRICARE, provide mental health and substance use disorder benefits that are comparable to medical and surgical benefits. This means TRICARE cannot impose more restrictive limitations on behavioral health coverage than on physical health coverage.

What parity means for TRICARE beneficiaries: • No separate visit limits for mental health treatment • Cost-sharing for behavioral health must be comparable to medical care • Prior authorization requirements cannot be more restrictive • Treatment duration cannot be arbitrarily limited • Access to care must be equivalent to medical services

Mental health services covered under parity: • Outpatient psychotherapy (individual, group, family) • Psychiatric medication management • Inpatient psychiatric hospitalization • Substance use disorder treatment • Intensive outpatient programs • Partial hospitalization • Applied Behavior Analysis for autism • Crisis intervention services

Key parity protections: • Financial requirements (copays, deductibles) must be comparable • Treatment limitations must be no more restrictive • Annual or lifetime dollar limits cannot differ • Network access standards must be equivalent

TRICARE's commitment to mental health parity ensures military families receive the behavioral health support they need without discriminatory barriers to care.