Archive for March 9th, 2010

  • Mental Health Parity Act in Effect, Guidelines Issued

    The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA), which took effect October 3, 2009, amends previous federal legislation to prohibit health plans from imposing any caps or limits on mental health treatment or substance abuse disorder benefits that aren’t applied to medical or surgical… in other words, it enforces equal treatment regardless of the type of illness or injury. This law applies to group health plans with 50 or more employees. To meet the requirements, the new regulations give employers until the first plan year beginning on or after July 1, 2010.

    Many consumer health advocates view this new legislation as a strong step forward in advancing patient rights, while some employer groups (not to mention insurers) feel differently – that it imposes additional undue cost and coverage burdens.

    Recently the government took steps to further clarify regulations surrounding the law; more can be found here.

    2010.03.09 / no responses / Category: Benefits, In the News