cmonfils | February 2, 2011
www.hreonline.com By Kristen B. Frasch
New regulations that prohibit large health plans from setting higher co-payments or limiting doctor visits for mental-health care are leading some organizations to drop mental-health benefits altogether. That’s a “very, very” bad idea, experts say.
With the new requirements of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act going into effect at the start of 2011, many organizations are now making adjustments to comply and to avoid prohibitive cost increases. (more…)
Category: Mental Health Parity |
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cmonfils | January 17, 2011
www.hreonline.com
By Kristen B. Frasch
New regulations that prohibit large health plans from setting higher co-payments or limiting doctor visits for mental-health care are leading some organizations to drop mental-health benefits altogether. That’s a “very, very” bad idea, experts say.
With the new requirements of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act going into effect at the start of 2011, many organizations are now making adjustments to comply and to avoid prohibitive cost increases. (more…)
Category: Mental Health Parity |
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cmonfils | January 12, 2011
www.hr.cch.com
CCH® BENEFITS — 01/06/11
from Spencer’s Benefits Reports: A health care plan that specifically excludes coverage in residential treatment programs is not compelled to provide such coverage when a state law does not include it in the list of limits establishing parity among mental health conditions and physical health conditions. In Douglas S., Ann C.S. and Laura S. v. Altius Health Plans (No. 09-4130, Nov. 5, 2010), the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals applied Utah Law Sec. 31A-22-625 to the case because “Sec. 625 meets the two-pronged test of Kentucky Association of Health Plans, Inc. v. Miller, 538 U.S. 329 (2003), and is thus saved from ERISA preemption.” (more…)
Category: Mental Health Parity |
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cmonfils | December 29, 2010
www.online.wsj.com
DECEMBER 23, 2010
By RUSSELL ADAMS and AVERY JOHNSON
Members of the Screen Actors Guild recently read in their health plan’s newsletter that, beginning in January, almost 12,000 of its participants will lose access to treatment for mental-health and substance-abuse issues.
The guild’s health plan represents one of a small number of unions, employers and insurers that are scrapping such benefits for their enrollees because of a 2008 law that requires that mental-health and substance-abuse benefits, if offered, be as robust as medical or surgical benefits. By dropping such coverage, providers can circumvent the requirements. (more…)
Category: Mental Health Parity |
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Adam V. Russo | December 1, 2010
From The Texas Department of Insurance
Mental Health Parity: A proposed rule amending 28 TAC Sections 21.2401 – 21.2407, relating to requirements for parity between mental health or substance use disorder benefits and medical/surgical benefits, has been filed with the Office of the Secretary of State on November 18, 2010 for publication in the Texas Register on December 3, 2010. A copy of this proposed rule may be accessed through a website maintained by the Secretary of State at
http://www.sos.state.tx.us/texreg/index.shtml (more…)
Category: Mental Health Parity |
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Adam V. Russo | July 19, 2010
CCH® BENEFITS, www.hr.cch.com
On July 1, the Employee Benefit Security Administration provided a temporary safe harbor for outpatient mental health benefit provisions that commonly require a copayment for office visits (for example, physician or psychologist visits) but coinsurance for other outpatient services (for example, outpatient surgery, facility charges for day treatment centers, laboratory charges, or other medical items). (more…)
Category: ERISA, Mental Health Parity |
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Adam V. Russo | July 9, 2010
By Joanne Wojcik of Business Insurance, www.businessinsurance.com
WASHINGTON—Until final mental health parity rules are issued, federal authorities will offer a temporary reprieve to employers that offer different levels of coverage for certain mental health outpatient services.
Because many employers use copayments for medical office visits and coinsurance for all other outpatient medical services, neither one of those types of cost-sharing would have met the “substantially all” test that had been set in the interim final rules that were issued in January and took effect for plan years beginning on or after July 1. (more…)
Category: Mental Health Parity |
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Adam V. Russo | May 19, 2010
Compliance stymied by health reforms, complexity: Firms
Joanne Wojcik
WASHINGTON—Groups representing employers are asking the Employee Benefits Security Administration to delay the application of mental health parity regulations for at least a year, saying they were caught off guard by certain provisions and have been distracted by the passage of health care reform. (more…)
Category: Health Care Legislation, Mental Health Parity |
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Adam V. Russo | May 12, 2010
The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC), a Washington, D.C.-based trade association representing America’s major employers, yesterday submitted comments on interim final regulations implementing the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA).
The Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Treasury published the interim final regulations in the Federal Register on February 2, 2010. (more…)
Category: ERIC, Health Care Legislation, Mental Health Parity |
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Adam V. Russo | May 12, 2010
By ROBERT PEAR
A huge fight has erupted over rules issued by the Obama administration to enforce a 2008 law that requires equal insurance coverage for the treatment of mental and physical illnesses.
The fight offers a taste of the coming battle over rules to remake the health care system under legislation pushed through Congress by President Obama. (more…)
Category: Health Care Legislation, Mental Health Parity |
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Adam V. Russo | April 20, 2010
April 7, 2010 (PLANSPONSOR.com)
A coalition of mental health care benefits organizations has filed a suit seeking to prevent the implementation of an interim final rule requiring parity for mental health benefits.
Business Insurance reports that the suit filed last week in U.S. District Court in Washington by the Coalition for Parity Inc. alleges that regulators failed to provide a “true and complete comment period,” which has resulted in “confusing, flawed and untested requirements.” In addition, while the interim final rule would ban the use of separate deductibles for mental health and medical treatment, the coalition says a single deductible for mental health and other medical services is a “requirement found nowhere” in the 2008 law. (more…)
Category: Health Care Legislation, Mental Health Parity |
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Adam V. Russo | April 13, 2010
In case you missed our Webinar today, you may review the PowerPoint slides by clicking the link below or listen to the audio presentation by clicking the “Webinars” link at the right-hand side of this page.
click here!
Category: Mental Health Parity |
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Adam V. Russo | March 22, 2010
A recent survey of 70 Fortune 500 employers that offer mental health benefits found that none of the companies eliminated their mental health or substance abuse coverage because of the 2008 Mental Health Parity Act.
According to the Hewitt Associates survey, all of the respondents eliminated their annual and lifetime maximums for mental health benefits as the law requires. (more…)
Category: Health Care Legislation, Mental Health Parity |
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Adam V. Russo | March 12, 2010
Kaiserhealthnews.org
By Sandra G. Boodman
Mar 02, 2010
This story was produced in collaboration with our partner
Denise Camp was resigned to the double standard that had long applied to her medical bills, forcing her to skimp on other expenses so she could pay for mental health treatment. (more…)
Category: Health Care Legislation, Mental Health Parity |
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