Loss of Maternity and Mental Health Coverage Would Burden Those in Greatest Need

RAND’s Christine Eibner and Christopher Whaley estimate how much the ACA’s requirement to cover maternity care, substance abuse, mental health treatment, and prescription drugs adds to health insurance premiums and overall spending by insurers. They also assess the potential impacts of eliminating these services from the required health benefits packages, as the American Health Care Act—the bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives to repeal and replace the ACA—would allow.