Healthcare is perhaps one of the most critical sectors of the society. The United States government has been on the forefront in ensuring that every citizen benefits from universal healthcare. However, there are still some disparities in the American healthcare system. One of the healthcare sectors that have experienced severe inequality is the one relating to those with mental illnesses. Most mental il people have experienced discrimination when it comes to insurance. Every American has a right to decent health care when the need arises. Both the Federal and state governments have been urged by The Mental health America to ensure behavioral health is accorded to people who might need it regardless of their background. There should not be any discrimination whatsoever in rendering such services, and every patient should be provided with those services on the same terms and conditions. This paper looks at whether the American law provides the same access to healthcare insurance for those suffering from mental health illness.
Indeed, mental health is essential to every person so that they can lead a healthy and healthy lifestyle and contribute to nation building (WEBER, 2013) . Someone can lead a life and reach his/her full potential if they are mentally healthy. It is quite unfortunate that some of the chief cause of demise in the U.S is mental illness and substance abuse. Research has proven that every American is affected by mental disorders in one way or the other through the course of their lives (Abuse, 2017) .
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Scientific advancement that has been made over the years have made it possible for doctors to diagnose mental disorders in the nick of time before they worsen. About that, they have been able to provide treatments for virtually every range of mental illness. Unfortunately, the majority of people with mental disorders have been known to disregard treatment and can avoid it altogether, therefore, worsening their condition. Most of them do not seek mental health care due to various impediments such as the disparity in the insurance coverage for those who are suffering from mental disorders (Sipe, 2016) .
Not only does the discrimination in providing healthcare for behavioral health lea to the limitation of medical access but also leads to financial loss due to out of pocket costs (Foundation, 2018) . Such inequality only works to reinforce the stigma that bedevils those suffering from mental disorders. The inequality is blatant discrimination that weakens the fabric that holds the society together and leads to intense suffering by those with behavioral disorders. Such discrimination cannot be justified on a rational basis (Jacob, 2016) .
Those suffering from mental health disorders are further at a loss because their conditions are further worsened by the lack of understanding of mental health by most individuals as well as the stigma that exists in the society (Yip, 2017) . It is laudable that some employers who are enlightened have gone out of their way to provide parity protection for their workforces thus cushioning them from the discriminations that exist in the healthcare sector (Abrams, 2017) . However, only a minority of employers have done so, hence the need to sensitize more business leaders to adopt the same measures (CORRIGAN, 2017) (Abuse, 2017) .
It is high time the American government did something to stem the discrimination and bias that exists in the insurance coverage of mentally ill individuals. The American Congress took a step to end the bias when they passed the Mental Health Parity Act in 1996 (America, 2018) . Under the act, there was a provision that there should not be any disparity regarding the provision of health to those who are mentally ill and those who are regul ar (Lin, 2017) . The Act was an important stepping stone in improving the healthcare system. It was a significant milestone, but it is quite unfortunate that it has not provided any fundamental changes. Those who suffer from or are at risk of behavioral health disorders still face a significant risk of discrimination.
About 49 million of American were uninsured before the Mental Health Parity, and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) was introduced (Beronio, 2014) . Those whose employers provided coverage, only 2% had health coverage, but it excluded mental health benefits (Chen, 2015) . Private health insurance provides an imitation to the extent to which these benefits could be provided. The MHPEA came in good time to provide coverage to those suffering from behavioral disorders as well as substance abuse.
Obamacare was one of the health strategies that provided better coverage for Americans. His administration was committed to ending discrimination that existed in mental health services. At the end of it, about 62 million Americans had received coverage and had improved coverage (Jorn & Mojtabai, 2015). However, a report from National Alliance on Mental Illness indicates that the healthcare system still has a long way to go about the provision of universal healthcare to those who are mentally ill.
Another factor that excavates the problems experienced by those who are mentally ill is that most psychiatric do not accept insurance (Rowe, 2013) . Most of them end up charging patients from their own pockets instead. Additionally, the benefits that re-listed on a particular plan may not be apparent and are ambiguous most of the time. For example, a plan might state that it provides in-patient care but is ambiguous on the type of facility where the care should be provided, thereby resulting in further confusion.
A report conducted in 2013 indicated that about 9.6 million adults in America suffer from mental illnesses such as post-traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, schizophrenia and depression (Houchins, 2013) . Such people usually require individualized treatment so that they can be accorded the right care. Additionally, their condition can also be improved by providing medication, through participation in peer support groups and by therapy (Group, 2018) . Mental illness should be accorded the urgency that it requires. Reason being that if patients are not treated accordingly on time, they might resort to suicide, substance abuse to self-medicate which might further aggravate their conditions. All these vices may be triggered by unemployment (Kessler, 2014) .
A majority of insurance providers have also been found to ignore the authorization of mental health as most of them deem it unnecessary medically. Many at times, insurers have adopted their provisions and standards but have never explained to the masses about those standards, further limiting access to them (Kontos, 2018) . Studies have also indicated that most people wi ll behavioral disorders do not visit healthcare facilities due to their lack of knowledge about the new laws that have been legislated (Leonard, 2015) . Moreover, most of them are still barred by the loopholes in the healthcare system whereas some of them are low-income earners who cannot afford the luxury of purchasing private health insurance.
If the correct measures are adopted, there would be an improvement in the healthcare insurance provider for those who are mentally challenged. It is sad that the American healthcare system has been characterized by inadequacy and discrimination in the coverage of addiction and mental illness (Mental Health Problem Symptoms, 2018) . Those suffering from mental illnesses are often required to seek the approval of the insurer before they seek the services of a clinician. Under such measures, they are required to fail at a less expensive level of care before they can be accorded the most appropriate care (Sight, 2015) . This is not only barbaric and highly inefficient but also increases the timeframe under which such patients will attain the best care. In conclusion, it is clear that the American healthcare system has been affected by inequalities that limit the access of medical insurance to the mentally disabled. It would be imperative for the government to address such changes and eliminate such inequalities for a much better and healthy society.
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