January 1, 1999

The AMA reaffirmed its support for parity coverage for mental health services during the final session of its interim House of Delegates meeting in Honolulu December 9.

In a resolution endorsing parity, the AMA said it would work "in conjunction with the American Psychiatric Association and other interested organizations [to] develop model state legislation for the use of state medical associations and specialty societies to promote legislative changes assuring parity for the coverage of mental illness, alcoholism, and substance abuse."

Although the resolution to support parity was a reaffirmation, the directive to develop model legislation was new, and the House of Delegates' support for parity was both stronger and broader than it has been in the past, observed John McIntyre, M.D., APA past president and a delegate and member of the AMA Section Council on Psychiatry.

"This resolution was introduced by the Minnesota delegation and reflects the growing support within organized medicine, within the House of Delegates, for issues that are crucial for our patients and their treatment," said McIntyre. "Many years ago such a resolution would almost always come from within psychiatry. But now the house as a whole is very supportive of many of these issues, and that's a real step forward in terms of the recognition that treatment of mental illness is not just a specific-discipline issue, but rather an issue in terms of the health of the nation."

The resolution ultimately approved by the House of Delegates was particularly satisfying for APA in that the language mentioning APA had not been present when the resolution was first written, McIntyre noted.