Health-insurance plans routinely offer less coverage for mentalhealth care than for medical care. Mental-health parity laws, therefore, seek to equalize insurance financing between mental-health and other health services. This Comment analyzes the conspicuous absence of true parity legislation in Wisconsin and suggests the form such legislation should take. Building on the experience of other states and powerful public-policy arguments, this Comment concludes that mental-health parity legislation in Wisconsin should reflect a mandated-benefit statute, define mental illness by referencing the DSM-IV, require that the terms and conditions of mentalhealth coverage be equal to those offered for physical-health coverage, and include a modest cost-increase exemption, but not a small-business exception. With such a law, Wisconsin will finally achieve true mentalhealth parity.
