The big picture finding: "Despite [a federal law requiring parity of mental and physical health benefits in employer sponsored plans], discrimination still exists toward mental health and substance use conditions …  Progress is being made, but there is still a long road ahead. NAMIs report identifies areas where insurance companies need to improve and greater scrutiny is needed."

Among the key findings:

• Health insurance networks in general don't include enough mental health professionals;
• Nearly a third of survey respondents reported insurance company denials of authorization for mental health and substance abuse care;
• For PPACA plans, denials were nearly twice the rate for other medical care;
• More than half of health plans analyzed for the report covered less than 50 percent of anti-psychotic medications;
• High out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs appear to discourage people from participating in both mental health and other medical treatment;
• High co-pays, deductible and co-insurance rates create further barriers to treatment;
• Plans don't offer enough information about mental health coverage to enable consumers to make informed decisions in choosing health plans.

The full report, A Long Road Ahead, is available on the NAMI website.