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White House Task Force provides recommendations to improve mental health parity
The White House Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Parity Task Force recently released a series of actions and recommendations for improving implementation of the federal parity law.
“APA welcomes this much-needed report to strengthen implementation and enforcement of existing mental health parity laws,” APA President Maria A. Oquendo, MD, PhD, said in a press release. “Full implementation and stronger enforcement will help ensure that psychiatric conditions are treated the same as other illnesses and individuals can access the treatment they need.”
The recommendations are based on feedback the Task Force received through a series of listening sessions held from March through October with consumers, providers, employers, health plans, and state regulators and from more than 1,100 public comments from individuals with mental health and substance use disorders, families and advocates.
The Task Force announced the following actions:
- CMS will award $9.3 million to states to enforce parity protections;
- in collaboration with the Department of Labor and other Task Force agencies, HHS will unveil a beta version of a new website to help consumers find the appropriate federal or state agency for their parity complaints, appeals and other actions;
- the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and Department of Labor will release a consumer guide to disclosure rights for consumers, their representatives and providers;
- the Department of Labor will release annual data on closed federal parity investigations;
- CMS will add Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act compliance to its review of plans subject to the Affordable Care Act’s essential health benefits requirement;
- the Department of Labor, HHS and Department of Treasury will issue guidance on parity and opioid use disorder treatment to address specific questions the departments have received;
- HHS, the Department of Labor and the Department of Treasury will seek feedback on improving the disclosure document request process;
- SAMHSA will host two state policy academies on parity implementation for state officials in the 2017 fiscal year;
- CMS will review mental health and substance use disorder benefits in Medicare Advantage plans and determine improvements; and
- the Department of Labor, Treasury and HHS will issue a Parity Compliance Assistance Materials Index that houses all frequently asked questions related to parity.
Additionally, the Task Force issued recommendations, including creating a one-stop consumer web portal to help consumers navigate parity, increasing federal agencies’ abilities to audit health plans for parity compliance, provide federal support for states to enforce parity through trainings, resources and implementation tools, strongly implement the Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) parity final rule and more.
“Adoption of the Task Force recommendations is essential to achievement of parity for patients with mental illness,” Saul Levin, MD, MPA, CEO and medical director of the APA, said in the release. “APA trusts that Congress and the Administration will work together to ensure that the recommendations become reality. APA stands ready to work with Congress and the White House in monitoring implementation. We will also work with our members to insure parity.”
The National Council for Behavioral Health also endorsed the Task Force’s guidance.
“If we are to fulfill parity’s promise, we have a great deal of work ahead of us,” Linda Rosenberg, PhD, president and CEO of the National Council, said in a press release. “The actions and recommendations released today are an important step in that direction. Now, we must continue working with federal and state regulators to ensure that all consumers can access the care they need.” – by Amanda Oldt
For more information:
Visit http://www.hhs.gov/parity to view the full report.
For more information on mental health parity from the APA, visit https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/parity/parity.
To access SAMHSA’s consumer guide, visit http://store.samhsa.gov/product/Consumer-Guide-To-Disclosure-Rights.