The federal Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act requires health insurers to do what?

The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, expanded by the ACA, prohibits health insurers from imposing stricter financial requirements or treatment limitations on mental health and substance use disorder benefits than those applied to comparable medical and surgical benefits. For example, if a plan covers 60 days of inpatient hospital care for physical illness, it cannot cap inpatient psychiatric care at 30 days. The law applies to large employer plans, and individual and small group marketplace plans are also required to cover mental health as an essential benefit.