Parity is about fairness. Americans with behavioral health conditions often have more difficulty getting the treatment and services they need when compared to individuals seeking other medical care. Explore parity-related information regarding legislation, statutes, and regulatory actions since the Federal Parity Law was passed in 2008.

Oklahoma Parity Law

There are several sections of the state insurance law about parity. This section contains relevant definitions for the subsequent sections.

This section requires large employer fully insured plans to cover services for the following conditions that are designated as “severe mental illness”:

  • Schizophrenia
  • Bipolar disorder
  • Major depressive disorder
  • Panic disorder
  • Obsessive compulsive disorder
  • Schizoaffective disorder

Plans are not required to cover services for other mental health conditions and substance use disorders, but if they do the coverage must be the same as what is required for “severe mental illness.”

Coverage for severe mental illness, and any other covered behavioral health conditions, must “be equal to” and “no more restrictive” than what is in place for other medical services for the following:

Plans cannot use any treatment limitation for behavioral health services that is not in place for other medical services.

Plans must cover either 26 days of inpatient care or the same inpatient day limit that is used for other medical care, whichever is greater.

This section allows plans to file for an exemption if they can demonstrate that coverage of “severe mental illness” caused premiums to rise by at least 2% over the course of a year.

National Parity Map

View the state parity reports to learn about legislation, regulation, and litigation related to parity implementation

National Parity Map

Get Support

Common Violations

In seeking care or services, be aware of the common ways parity rights can be violated.