Report: Insurers Falling Short on Mental Health Parity January 31, 2022

A new federal report shows that many insurers are failing to comply with mental health parity legislation MSDC championed last decade.

The report to Congress from the federal Departments of Labor, HHS, and Treasury tracked compliance efforts with the requirement that insurers not impose financial burdens or treatment limitations on mental health care. The report focused mainly on federal efforts to seek compliance but outlined some shocking areas where compliance falls short. 

In one example, a payer covered nutrition services for people with diabetes but not for people with anorexia, bulimia, or binge eating disorders.

See the report here.

The Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 was landmark legislation in treating mental health the same by payers as physical health. MSDC worked to pass into law locally the Behavioral Health Parity Act of 2017, which required all District payers to comply with the Wellstone Domenici Act.