Biden Administration Finalizes Mental Health Parity Rule
The Biden administration on Sept. 9 finalized a rule placing new requirements on health plans to cover mental health and addiction care on the same terms as other types of care. The rule was originally proposed last year and expands on the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA), a 2008 law meant to keep mental health benefits covered at the same level as physical health benefits. A press release from the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Treasury about the final rule stated that enforcement efforts for the MHPAEA have shown that “many still encounter barriers to accessing mental health and substance use disorder care as compared to medical and surgical care under their health plan or coverage.” If health plans are found to be providing inadequate access to mental health or substance use disorder care, they will be required by the new guidelines to come into compliance with the requirements by analyzing their provider networks, pr...