Mintz Levin Alerts Plans to Upcoming Deadlines

In "Employee Benefits: Important Wellness Plan and Mental Health/Substance Use Disorder Parity Effective Dates Have Arrived!", Mintz Levin indicates that:

"Employers and insurers offering medical plans: take note! Two important final regulations issued jointly by the IRS, DOL and HHS (the “Departments”) apply to plan years (or, in the individual market, policy years) beginning on or after July 1, 2014. For plans and policies which operate on a calendar year, there is still time (until January 1, 2015) to comply; however, plans and policies with a July 1 plan or policy year must comply now."

To read more, click here.

Buck Consultants Explains Final Mental Health Parity Regulations

In "Final mental health parity regulations issued", Buck Consultants explains that:

"The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 requires group health plans that offer mental health and substance use disorder benefits to cover those benefits on terms that are no more restrictive than they are for medical and surgical benefits. Final regulations under the law were issued in November and generally become effective for plan years beginning on or after July 1, 2014. The final regulations largely retain the content of the interim final regulations and incorporate subsequently issued guidance. They also clarify certain aspects of the application of the law in connection with the ACA."

 To read more, click here.

Government Issues Final Mental Health Parity Rules

The government just issued the final mental health parity rules. In "Final Rules under the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008; Technical Amendment to External Review for Multi-State Plan Program", the government states:

"This document contains final rules implementing the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, which requires parity between mental health or substance use disorder benefits and medical/surgical benefits with respect to financial requirements and treatment limitations under group health plans and group and individual health insurance coverage. This document also contains a technical amendment relating to external review with respect to the multi-state plan program administered by the Office of Personnel Management."

The Final regulation is available at www.dol.gov/ebsa/pdf/mhpaeafinalrule.pdf
FAQs about ACA Implementation Part XVII and Mental Health Parity Implementation are available at http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/faqs/faq-aca17.html
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Study: Consistency of Large Employer and Group Health Plan Benefits with Requirements of the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 is available at www.dol.gov/ebsa/pdf/hhswellstonedomenicimhpaealargeemployerandghpbconsistency.pdf
DOL news release is available at http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/newsroom/2013/13-2158-NAT.html

Final Mental Health Parity Rule Submitted to OMB for Review

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) recently received for review the rule to finalize the interim final rule published on February 2, 2010, that implements the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA).

OMB generally has 90 days to review the rule from the date it was received.

ERIC members and trial members can read more here.