Pacific Northwest Chapter Webinar - August 14

Chapter Event

Mental Health Parity
August 14, 2024
10:30 - 11:45 am Pacific

This presentation will provide an overview of the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA) for those who oversee the administration of employer-sponsored group health plans. Our speakers from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) will discuss parity requirements between mental health/substance use disorder (MH/SUD) benefits and medical/surgical benefits provide by employer-sponsored plans. Topics will include Non-Quantitative Treatment Limitations (NQTLs) and Quantitative Treatment Limitations (QTLs) to be aware of when ensuring plan compliance.

Take-aways:

• MHPAEA requires group health plans to provide mental health and substance use disorder (MH/SUD) benefits in parity (comparable) to medical and surgical benefits.    
• A plan may not impose a requirement or limitation to MH/SUD benefits that is more restrictive than the predominant financial requirement or treatment limitation of that type that is applied to substantially all medical/surgical benefits in the same classification.
• A plan may not impose Non-Quantitative Treatment Limitations (NQTLs) on MH/SUD benefits in any classification unless any processes, strategies, evidentiary standards, or other factors used in applying that NQTL are comparable to and apply no more stringently than other factors that are used in applying that NQTL to Med/Surg benefits in the classification.