Mental Health Parity
Mental Health Parity Rule Issued
The Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and Treasury have issued a final rule increasing parity between mental health/substance use disorder benefits and medical/surgical benefits in group and individual health plans. The rule will apply to plans beginning on or after July 1, 2014. Read rule here.
Letters of Support and Amici Curiae
Medical Evaluation Parity for Service Members (MEPS) Act, S 2231/HR 4305. The MEPS would require the Department of Defense to screen military recruits for mental health disorders, as it routinely does for physical health conditions, and to review its ability to issue electronic health records for use by the Department of Veterans Affairs and other healthcare entities when service members depart active duty. See letter, dated May 9, 2014
Resources
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention/National Council for Behavioral Health
- Access links to mental health parity consumer tools and video (to view video, use the password AFSP).
American Psychological Association
- Access the APA mental health parity consumer guide, video and survey.
American Psychiatric Association
- APA, the American Psychiatric Foundation and Milliman worked together to produce 2012’s Employer Guide for Compliance with the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act. That guide is currently being updated and is expected to be released soon.