Summary

According to the Mental Health Association in Texas, mental illness costs Texas taxpayers $1.5 billion annually, in addition to $16.6 billion per year due to reduced workforce participation and mortality costs.

Not only does mental illness impact an individual's emotional stability, it often leads to physical illness and other societal problems like alcoholism, unemployment, homelessness and abuse.

Mental Health Coverage

Since 1997, Texas law requires "partial parity" for mental health insurance coverage. The law requires requires certain minimum coverage for schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bi-polar disorder, obsessive compessive disorder, major depressive disorder, autism, paranoia and childhood depression.

Many plans, however, are exempt from the law.

Links

Mental Health Association in Texas