Most employers in the region -- including King County and the City of Seattle -- provide significantly lower levels of behavioral health services in their employee benefits packages than those for other medical care. The Board of Health declared "providing comparable coverage for behavioral health services reduces the stigma of mental illness and chemical dependency, and it is the right thing to do."

Recent studies by the King County Health Action Plan show that two major advances have taken place in recent years:

The combined result has made it more affordable and equitable to cover behavioral health services on a par with insurance for other health services.

Cost Reductions Reported by Companies Offering Comparable Benefits

Randy Revelle, King County Executive from 1981 to 1985, presented results to the Board of Health from a survey of health benefits offered by 22 leading health care employers participating in the King County Health Action Plan. The Action Plan is a coalition of public and private employers seeking to improve the health status and health system performance in King County.

Although the participating employers endorsed the concept of treating mental health and chemical dependency services on a comparable footing with other health services, many were

surprised to see documentation showing their own employee benefits fell short in this area. Revelle contrasted the local employers with several national firms that do offer comparable behavioral health benefits to their employees, including Compaq, Federal Express, Pacific Bell, and Xerox. These companies have reported cost reductions over time with comparable, managed behavioral health coverage.

The employers on the Action Plan Steering Committee have committed to work toward offering comparable behavioral health benefits to their employees and dependents within the next three years. The Board of Health resolution recommends that King County and the City of Seattle take the lead as model employers in changing their employee benefits so that mental health and chemical dependency services are treated the same as other health services.

Dr. Alonzo Plough, Director of Public Health, congratulated the King County Health Action Plan Steering Committee members on their commitment to improve coverage for behavioral health services. "This group of employers has voluntarily decided to take a hard look at the benefits they offer. They have seen that offering early access to mental health and chemical dependency services can ward off more serious problems for the patient, family, and workplace later on."

Revelle himself has taken medications for bipolar depression since 1977. Effective treatment at the time and since then has enabled him to lead an active career in public service. "People with behavioral health problems who receive proper treatment and the support of family and friends can lead productive and enjoyable lives," he explained.

Improving access to adequate mental health and chemical dependency services has seen a groundswell of support across the country during the last few years. In 1996, the Federal government passed a law assuring equal treatment of some aspects of mental health coverage in the Mental Health Parity Act of that year. To date, 19 states around the country have passed mental health and/or chemical dependency parity laws. The Washington State legislature was considering a mental health parity bill this year.

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