Washington, D.C., May 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In a significant policy shift, the Trump Administration stated that it plans not to enforce, and then ultimately reconsider, the 2024 Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Parity Final Rule. The Kennedy Forum will engage with the Administration and the field across a series of actions to support the transition for tens of millions of Americans who seek treatment and medication for mental health conditions and substance use disorders each year.
The 2024 rule helped enforce mental health parity, a law ensuring that insurance could not limit mental health care coverage more strictly than physical health coverage, by clarifying some aspects of parity and providing a more systematic and transparent approach to oversight.
Enforcement of mental health parity directly affects people’s ability to access insurance-covered health care, which is vital and often life-saving — more than 300 people in this country will likely die from overdoses or suicide on this day alone.
The Kennedy Forum Will Lead Efforts to Advance Parity
Today, the Kennedy Forum, one of the nation’s leading experts on parity, announced a series of actions to find solutions during a time when the mental health crisis continues to ravage America. The Kennedy Forum co-founder Patrick J. Kennedy is the co-author of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) of 2008, which has stood under numerous administrations and is still the law of the land.
Immediately, The Kennedy Forum will:
- Set out to provide the Administration with strong policy options by convening a Parity Advancement Task Force consisting of major national associations that represent employers, insurers, providers, and consumers, along with legal experts to align those interested in consensus solutions.
- Hold a public town hall for the community. On Thursday, May 15, 2025 at 1pm EST, we will open up our State Parity Workgroup to all who want to join and invite you to REGISTER HERE. This key gathering will provide an important space to hear from parity experts, discuss important implications of the Administration’s decisions, and provide a space for questions and feedback.
- Continue The Kennedy Forum’s in-depth work with states across the country to support their parity efforts. In the coming months, we will be working with partners to release a series of new of resources for states to help enforcement where and how they can.
- Examine practical ways in which the private sector can step up to ensure the well-being of the workforce, in a time when employee life evaluation has hit record lows.
What We Know: The Future of Mental Health Parity in America
Right now, the bipartisan 2008 parity statute must be faithfully executed, as it has been across administrations for almost 20 years now. The more recent bipartisan Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, which built on the original parity law, must also be implemented.
The Kennedy Forum will continue to act in response to developments as they come, engaging with the Administration, Congress, and the field throughout this process.
Strong parity implementation will support the Administration’s goals to reduce wasteful spending, promote transparency and efficiency, and Make America Healthy Again. The Administration’s actions to make health insurance data transparent and actionable can also advance parity, providing insights into provider access, service coverage, and reimbursement issues. This would continue President Trump’s legacy from his first term, when he advanced parity implementation and signed into law the bipartisan statute building on parity.
We stand ready to collaborate with everyone ready to work on solutions for ensuring fair access to mental health and substance use disorder services for hardworking American families. We also look forward to partnering with this Administration at every step in implementing parity, which will provide a central tool in achieving President Trump’s goal to “aggressively combat the critical health challenges facing our citizens, including the rising rates of mental health disorders, … by ensuring people get access to mental health and substance use care – decreasing the likelihood that they will … experience overdose.”
For media inquiries, please contact info@thekennedyforum.org.
ABOUT THE KENNEDY FORUM
The Kennedy Forum (TKF) works for mental health as essential health. The organization aligns stakeholders to advance policies and goals that affect systemic change.
Co-founded by former Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy, who co-authored the bipartisan Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, and his wife, Amy L. Kennedy, the nonprofit plays a distinct role as a catalyst for change.
The Kennedy Forum launched the Alignment for Progress, a movement of mental health and substance use disorder (MH/SUD) advocates, business leaders, insurers, elected officials, philanthropists, venture capitalists, and government agencies working toward a bold 90-90-90 vision: By 2033 90% of the population is screened for MH/SUD, 90% who need it receive evidence-based treatment, and 90% manage symptoms and achieve recovery.
The organization sustains impactful movement building; leads local, state, and federal policy efforts with a focus on parity; addresses barriers for structural change; and works for better mental health through the life course, with prevention and youth mental health at the forefront. As a result, the organization builds and shares seminal tools, new research, and key resources.
To learn how The Kennedy Forum is ensuring that mental health is essential health, visit thekennedyforum.org.
Abbie Kopf The Kennedy Forum 4698344500 abbie.kopf@thekennedyforum.org
