Labor & Employment Symposium - Topics: Religious Accommodations—Vaccinations; DOL Mental Health Parity Audits
I. Summary of the Final Rule - On September 9, 2024, the Departments of Treasury, Labor and Health and Human Services published the much-anticipated final rule implementing parts of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction...more
On September 9, 2024, the Department of Labor, the Department of the Treasury, and HHS (the Departments) jointly issued a final rule (the Final Rule) amending regulations implementing the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici...more
The three federal agencies tasked with enforcement of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) — the Departments of Labor, Health & Human Services (through CMS), and Treasury (the Departments) — issued their...more
The wait is over, and now the work begins for health plan sponsors. Much-anticipated final rules implementing the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA) were...more
The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act and its implementing regulations and guidance (MHPAEA) prohibit health insurance policies and group health plans that cover mental health and substance use disorder (MH/SUD)...more
The US Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and the Treasury (collectively, the Departments) released their much anticipated final rules implementing the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and...more
Summary: Under a final rule released by the Biden administration on Sept. 9, 2024, health insurers will be required to cover mental health care and addiction services on par with other medical conditions. This rule is part of...more
The White House has finalized the new Mental Health Parity rule, which focuses on increasing access to mental health/substance use disorder treatment through nonquantitative treatment limitations (NQTL) data and reporting,...more
The U.S. Departments of Labor (DOL), Health and Human Services, and the Treasury (collectively, the “Tri-Departments”) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on August 3, 2023, to propose new regulations for the...more
In a win for plaintiffs, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit recently reversed a district court’s dismissal of key claims in the case of Ryan S. v. UnitedHealth Group, Inc. The case provides useful guidance for...more
In the United States, mental health (“MH”) and substance use disorder (“SUD”) (collectively “MH/SUD”) have continued to represent areas of intense concern. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the MH struggles of essential workers...more
The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) requires health plans and insurers to offer mental health coverage in “parity” with a plan’s medical or surgical coverage. In 2024, as the post-COVID era brings a...more
In a recent opinion, E.W. v. Health Net Life Insurance Co., the US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit clarified the elements that plaintiffs must plead to state claims under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity...more
In the August issue, we delved into the proposed regulations under the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (“MHPAEA”), as amended by the Affordable Care Act. By way of...more
This year’s Going Digital Health’s Behavioral Health Tech Conference (GDBH) was well-attended and rife with insightful panel presentations and discussions featuring key players from across the behavioral health and substance...more
Guidance on the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (the "MHPAEA") recently released by the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury (the "Departments") proposes significant requirements for...more
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA) added a requirement for health plans to document their compliance with nonquantitative treatment limitations (NQTLs) under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act...more
Our Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Group summarizes the key provisions of a proposed rule that would impose new Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act requirements on group health plans and health insurance...more
Most employers know that if a group health plan provides mental health or substance use disorder (MH/SUD) benefits in any of six specified classifications, the plan must provide MH/SUD benefits in all specified...more
The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) requires health plans to provide mental health benefits, including coverage for substance use disorders (SUDs), that are in “parity” with medical and surgical...more
On July 25, 2023, the US Departments of Labor (DOL), Treasury (DOT), and Health and Human Services (HHS) (the Departments) released a much-anticipated interim final rule to ensure that group health plans comply with the...more
Last week, the departments of the Treasury, Labor and Health and Human Services (collectively, the Departments) published long-awaited proposed regulations intended to clarify and improve compliance with the federal mental...more
On July 25, 2023, the tri-agencies of the Departments of Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services (the Departments) issued a compendium of guidance designed to facilitate compliance with the Nonquantitative Treatment...more
The Biden administration has announced its intention to end the COVID-19 National Emergency (NE) and the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) on May 11, 2023 (read our series introduction for more information). Among other...more
The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) requires health plans to provide equal levels of coverage for mental health conditions and substance use disorders (SUD) as for physical illnesses. Understanding and...more