[ORN] VLC State and Federal Parity Implementation
This session will delve into the implementation of mental health and substance use disorder parity laws across jurisdictions. Attendees will learn about enforcement strategies, compliance challenges, and the role of oversight agencies. The session will highlight how parity can support recovery by ensuring equitable access to care. Real-world examples will illustrate both progress and persistent gaps in achieving true parity.
Deborah Steinberg, J.D.
Deborah Steinberg is a Senior Health Policy Attorney at the Legal Action Center (LAC), a non-profit law and policy organization that fights discrimination, builds health equity, and restores opportunity for people with substance use disorders (SUD), arrest and conviction records, and HIV/AIDS. Ms. Steinberg develops and advocates for federal and state policies to improve access to SUD and mental health care. She leads LAC’s work to improve enforcement of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, as well as LAC’s Medicare Addiction Parity Project which seeks to close coverage gaps for older adults and people with disabilities. Ms. Steinberg earned her B.A. from Vassar College and J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, and she is currently a Bloomberg Fellow in Addiction and Overdose at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.