The following link provides a selected bibliography of articles and reports examining behavioral health parity through 1999. 

The bibliography is available from SAMHSA here: http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/cmhs/ManagedCare/Parity/Bibliography.asp 

This report examines the effects of the Mental Health Parity Act of 1996 (MHPA). 

From the SAMHSA report:

Results indicate that the effects of MHPA have been largely positive. Only about half of the health plans subject to the Act had to make changes in their mental health benefits. Of these, the large majority did not judge that the mandate required compensating changes in other benefit provisions. Further, MHPA had an unintended beneficial effect of also improving coverage for substance abuse benefits in many plans. Nevertheless, some employers did make changes that would tend to nullify any beneficial effects of the legislation, and a very small number actually dropped mental health coverage.

The report is available from SAMHSA here: http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/cmhs/ManagedCare/Parity/ParityActEffcts.asp 

This 1998 report examined the state of mental health and substance abuse parity under the Mental Health Parity Act of 1996 and state parity laws.  The study summarized characteristics of state parity laws, conducted detailed case studies of five state parity laws, analyzed actuarial estimates of the costs of parity, and provided estimates of premium increases under full and partial parity. 

The full report is available from SAMHSA here: http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/publications/allpubs/Mc99-80/Prtyfnix.asp 

Title VII of the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997 is entitled the "Mental Health Parity Act of 1996." This act amends ERISA to establish parity between mental health benefits and medical/surgical benefits for employers that choose to offer both.

Full text of the law (PDF): http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=104_cong_public_laws&docid=f:publ204.104.pdf

A detailed summary of the law: http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/cmhs/ManagedCare/Parity/Summary.asp  

Consumer Questions and Answers on the Mental Health Parity Act: http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/cmhs/ManagedCare/Parity/Consumer.asp 

Employer Questions and Answers on the Mental Health Parity Act: http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/cmhs/ManagedCare/Parity/Employer.asp 

Interim Rules HIPPA Mental Health Parity Act; Proposed Rule: http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/cmhs/ManagedCare/Parity/PRTYREG.asp 

This report examines the projected impact of mental health parity legislation in Massachusetts; primarily with respect to projected costs in various scenarios.

Download the full report (pdf): http://www.mass.gov/Eeohhs2/docs/dhcfp/r/pubs/mandates/mental_health_parity_report.pdf

Contained within the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, Title V, Subtitle B, is the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008. This act builds on the Mental Health Parity Act of 1996 and now requires private group health plans of 51 or more employees to cover mental health and substance use disorders at the same levels as medical and surgery benefits, if the plan offers mental health and substance use benefits.

Full Text of the Legislation: Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (pdf)

CRS Summary: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:HR01424:@@@D&summ2=m&