Task force highlights steps to boost behavioral health coverage parity

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An interagency government task force charged with enforcing behavioral health parity regulations has issued a report outlining how to strengthen insurance coverage for mental health and substance use disorders.

The White House created the Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Parity Task Force this past March in an effort to boost implementation of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, which mandates equal insurance coverage for both medical and behavioral health services. Consumer advocates have long complained that health insurers find ways to circumvent the regulations.

These coverage disparities can have devastating consequences for individuals whose behavioral health issues persist without proper medical treatment, the White House says in an announcement of the task force’s new recommendations. “These consequences are apparent in the prescription opioid and heroin epidemic, as well as the troubling rates of suicide and severe mental illness in this country,” it notes.

To tackle the problem, these are among the actions the report highlights:

  • The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will award $9.3 million to state insurance regulators that work to ensure insurer compliance with parity protections. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration will also host two policy academies on parity implementation for state officials.
  • CMS will review mental health and substance use disorder benefits in Medicare Advantage plans and identify any necessary actions to advance parity provisions.
  • CMS will add Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act compliance to its review of plans subject to the essential health benefits requirement under the Affordable Care Act. The agency “expects state regulators to do so as well.” 
  • Several of the agencies involved in the task force will release the beta version of a new parity website to help consumers find the appropriate agency to assist with their parity complaints, appeals and other actions.

Meanwhile, some of the report’s recommendations include:

  • Increase federal agencies’ capacity to audit health plans for parity compliance by including funding in future budgets to expand audit capacity.
  • Allow the Department of Labor to assess civil monetary penalties for parity law violations.
  • Develop examples of parity compliance best practices and of potential warning signs of non-compliance.
  • Simplify disclosure tools to provide consistent information for consumers, plans and issuers, as well as clarify that health plan disclosure requirements include medical and surgical benefits.

 “Together, today’s steps build on the ongoing work of the administration to make the treatment of mental health and substance use disorders a priority,” the announcement says.