Advocates say new Georgia law on mental health parity will save lives

Abstract

As Georgians rang in 2023, a new state law went into effect that requires insurance companies to cover mental health care the same way they cover physical health care, WANF‐TV in Atlanta reported Jan. 2. “Insurance companies that cover physical things like a broken arm or broken leg now have to cover behavioral health issues, mental health and addiction,” said Jeff Breedlove, chief of communications and public policy for The Georgia Council for Recovery. Passage of the measure was a point of pride for the late Georgia House Speaker David Ralston. “This was only the second time that a speaker of the House carried a bill,” Breedlove said. He said mental health and addiction recovery are taking center stage again with the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] CDC's recent report showing life expectancy in the U.S. has gone down for the first time in many years, in part because of drug overdoses from addiction issues. A recovering addict himself, Breedlove said he knows the importance of having mental health and addiction care covered by insurance. “It's a big deal. It's a game changer,” he said. “It'll save lives.”