Governor Mike DeWine signed comprehensive mental health parity legislation into law Thursday at a ceremony in the Ohio Statehouse, requiring insurance companies operating in Ohio to provide coverage for mental health and substance use disorder treatment on equal terms with physical health services. Advocates called the signing one of the most significant mental health policy advances in Ohio’s history.
House Bill 315, which passed both chambers with strong bipartisan support, closes loopholes in existing federal parity requirements and establishes new state enforcement mechanisms, including a dedicated parity compliance office within the Ohio Department of Insurance. Insurers found in violation will face escalating financial penalties and be required to remediate coverage gaps within 60 days of a confirmed violation.
The bill’s core provisions require insurers to apply the same criteria used for physical health coverage when making decisions about mental health and addiction treatment coverage, including decisions about prior authorization, step therapy protocols, and network adequacy. It also mandates transparency in insurer benefit design, requiring carriers to document and disclose how their mental health coverage limits are determined.
“For too long, Ohioans have faced insurance barriers that prevented them from getting the mental health care they need,” DeWine said at the signing. “Today we say clearly: mental health is health. And in Ohio, it will be covered that way.” The Governor was joined at the signing by a bipartisan group of legislators, mental health advocates, and individuals in recovery who shared their personal experiences with insurance coverage barriers.
The Ohio Association of Health Plans, which represents insurance companies, said the industry was committed to working constructively with the new compliance framework. “We share the goal of connecting Ohioans to the care they need,” the association said in a statement, though it noted that some implementation timelines in the bill would require adjustment in subsequent rulemaking.
Mental health advocates, including the Ohio Mental Health and Addiction Services Director Dr. Joan Gillece, said the law would have an immediate real-world impact, particularly for Ohioans seeking residential treatment, intensive outpatient programs, and long-term therapy. “We hear every day from Ohioans who are denied care they need because of arbitrary insurance barriers,” Gillece said. “This law will change that.”
The law takes effect 90 days after signing, with full enforcement beginning January 1, 2027. Consumers who believe they have been denied parity-compliant coverage can file complaints with the Ohio Department of Insurance starting April 1, 2026.
