Health insurers could face more pressure from federal mental health benefits parity enforcement teams.
Witnesses testified today at a hearing organized by the House Energy and Commerce health subcommittee that a lack of information about compliance with the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA) has weakened efforts to make parity a reality.
MHPAEA, which was signed into law by President George W. Bush, requires large employer plans that offer both behavioral health and general health benefits to provide comparable levels of behavioral and general health benefits.
Federal regulators have developed Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA) essential health benefits package regulations that extend the MHPAEA parity standards to the individual and small-group markets.
In 2013, the Obama administration released MHPAEA final regulations that could be used as a foundation for enforcement efforts.