inseparable’s Post

It is great to see Behavioral Health parity garnering deserved attention. NQTL’s are tools that insurance plans have effectively usedto avoid compensating Providers for the care they rendered to the patient. This rule will help mitigate the NQTL “game”, but we still have a long road to get to TRUE behavioral health - physical health parity!

Did you know that people in need are 3.5x more likely to have to use out of network insurance benefits for mental healthcare vs. physical healthcare? Also, mental health providers (Psychiatrists and Therapists) are paid well below our peers...it is not hard to understand why there is a shortage of providers...

NEW: The Biden-Harris Administration’s newly issued rule is a huge step in enforcing parity in insurance coverage for mental health and substance use disorders (MH/SUDs). “Mental health care is health care. But for far too many Americans, critical care and treatments are out of reach.” - President Biden 16 years after passage of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA), our Co-Founder Patrick J. Kennedy’s signature legislation, we’re closer than ever to truly achieving coverage parity for mental health and substance use disorders. The Kennedy Forum has fought relentlessly for greater mental health parity and we’re proud to have advocated for these improvements. The new rule implements a straightforward and transparent framework, requiring insurance companies to more accurately report consumer costs, reimbursement rates and prior authorization data. The final rule: - Requires health plans to make changes when they are providing inadequate access to mental health and substance use care - Makes it clear what health plans can and cannot do - Closes existing loopholes Stay tuned for more parity updates — we will be publishing analyses from our experts on what this rule means for the mental health community. Bookmark this page: https://lnkd.in/eRQQFYmE #MentalHealthParity

This is great news for the #mentalhealth and #behavioralhealth community! However, it also potentially widens the gap in mental health parity protections between private consumers and the #military. Nowhere are lack of these protections more evident then the DoD's mismanagement of the #Autism Care Demonstration (ACD). The number of treatment limitations within the ACD is mind-boggling when compared to medical services. The ACD will continue to be a #retention issue for #militaryfamilies that are not satisfied with sub-standard services and invasive outcomes that are a part of the demonstration. The same #retention issue can be applied to our ABA providers that continue to leave the network because of deviations to generally accepted standards of care and other ethical issues. For the #militaryspouse community in particular, please continue to submit your anonymous comments about how your #militarychildren are impacted to the NASEM committee. https://lnkd.in/gQVgU_Uv

It's about time that our insurance industry starts taking mental health more seriously. While legislation to increase mental health parity in line with physical health ailments has been on the books for years, insurers have dragged their feet in providing adequate coverage for mental health services. Let's hope this is the beginning of a push toward mental health parity. This is just a small step in the right direction, however. There is a huge shortage of mental health providers in the US. Additional solutions to correct this imbalance in the health care system need to be addressed. #mentalhealth #insuranceindustry #wellness #holistichealth

In the 15 years since Congress passed the bipartisan Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act to end behavioral health coverage discrimination, health insurance plans continue to restrict access to lifesaving care. Thankfully, new proposed federal parity rules, if finalized, will increase access to mental health and addiction treatment – and lead to increased investments in behavioral health technologies. This is because the proposed rules require insurers to take “reasonable steps” – such as increasing investments in telehealth or behavioral health technologies – to address access disparities to in-network behavioral health care. Read more at — https://ow.ly/b2px50QZytt. #ParityNow #MentalHealth #DigitalHealth #DigitalMentalHealth #MentalHealthTech #BehavioralHealthTech inseparable American Foundation for Suicide Prevention American Psychological Association The Kennedy Forum Mental Health America NAMI Eating Disorders Coalition for Research, Policy & Action (EDC)

#mentalhealthparity #substaceuseparity 👏👏👏 “As someone who has watched insurers’ blatant disregard for federal parity regulations for years, I am thrilled to see this rule finalized. It is a critical step to holding insurance companies accountable and ending discriminatory denials of care,” Chief Policy Officer David Lloyd for the mental health advocacy organization Inseparable said in a statement. Behavioral Health Business The Biden administration has released its final rule updating mental health parity compliance for group and individual health plans. The rules apply to group health plans with new plan years starting after Jan. 1, 2025, with other, more technical aspects of the rule going into effect a year later. The new final rule applies to individual health plans starting on Jan. 1, 2026. 👉What’s in the final rule? Group and individual health plans are forbidden from imposing NQTLs on behavioral health benefits that are more restrictive than physical health benefits. The rule uses the language of “mental health and substance use disorder benefits” and “medical/surgical benefits.” Plans are required to collect data to assess the impact of NQTLs on behavioral health access and access to physical health care, compare the data between each type of care and act to remedy disparities. Plans that are deemed to be out of compliance will be required by the three federal agencies to stop using that noncompliant NQTL. https://lnkd.in/escAv6rT

In the 15 years since Congress passed the bipartisan Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act to end behavioral health coverage discrimination, health insurance plans continue to restrict access to lifesaving care. Thankfully, new proposed federal parity rules, if finalized, will increase access to mental health and addiction treatment – and lead to increased investments in behavioral health technologies. This is because the proposed rules require insurers to take “reasonable steps” – such as increasing investments in telehealth or behavioral health technologies – to address access disparities to in-network behavioral health care. Read more at — https://ow.ly/b2px50QZytt. #ParityNow #MentalHealth #DigitalHealth #DigitalMentalHealth #MentalHealthTech #BehavioralHealthTech inseparable American Foundation for Suicide Prevention American Psychological Association The Kennedy Forum Mental Health America NAMI Eating Disorders Coalition for Research, Policy & Action (EDC)