Thursday, July 03, 2008

Mental health parity update

BNA joins Business Insurance in reporting that the House and Senate negotiators have resolved all of the benefit policy issues that had distinguished their respective mental health parity bills. The House dropped its position that health plans must cover all mental illnesses identified by the American Psychiatric Association and adopted the Senate's effective date (2010 if enacted this year). The House also agreed with the Senate to limit out of network parity to those plans that offer an out of network medical surgical benefit. Now the negotiators must resolve the "pay go" issues that had raised White House objections. I am betting that this bill will become law in 2008.

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