Skip to content

All Categories

The Kennedy Forum

Tags: All Categories, Uncategorized

Established by former congressman Patrick F. Kennedy, the Kennedy Forum strives to stay true to President Kennedy’s vision – for everyone to live dignified lives and take advantage of the benefits that come with being American. The Community Mental Health Act signed 50 years ago provided a sound foundation for mental health parity laws and …

Read more

Insurer in CA Faces Steep Fines for Violation of State Parity Law

Tags: All Categories, Uncategorized

The HMO, Kaiser Permanente was recently fined $4m by the State of California for violating California mental health parity law. The fine, the second largest in California history, was in response to Kaiser’s failure to provide access to mental health care in a timely manner. Along with the fine, California Department of Insurance issued a …

Read more

Governor O’Malley Signs Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Parity Legislation

Tags: All Categories, Uncategorized

On May 2, Governor O’Malley signed into law two pieces of legislation that will better enable the Maryland Insurance Administration to fully enforce the federal parity law and better allow consumers to exercise their rights. A small group of parity advocates including, MHAMD, NCADD Maryland, and the University of Maryland Law School Drug Policy Clinic …

Read more

First Parity Court Ruling in Favor of the MH/SUD Consumer

Tags: All Categories, Uncategorized

On May 2, 2013 the United States District Court in Vermont issued the first ruling in the country on the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act. While the Court has not yet issued a final decision in the case, the ruling issued earlier established that the plan administrator has the burden to show that …

Read more

Psychiatrist File Suit Against Anthem Well Point for Parity Violations

Tags: All Categories, Uncategorized

  PRESS RELEASE FROM THE AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION American Psychiatric Association and Others Seek Court’s Intervention in Compelling Anthem and Wellpoint to End Alleged Discrimination Against Mental Health Patients ARLINGTON, Va. (April 11, 2013) — The American Psychiatric Association, the Connecticut Psychiatric Society, the Connecticut Council of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and two individuals have …

Read more

New Study Shows Increased Access to Substance Use Disorder Treatment After Federal Parity

Tags: All Categories, Uncategorized

A new study by the Health Care Cost Institute shows that access to hospital inpatient substance use disorder treatment was up by 19.5% in 2011.

Read more

California Regulators Cite Kaiser Permanente for Violating Parity Laws

Tags: All Categories, Uncategorized

As written about by John Grohol in Psych Central, Kaiser Permanente, California’s largest HMO was found by the California Department of Managed Health Care to be violating patient protection laws. California requires that patients wait no more than 10 days for an appointment to see a specialist. Kaiser Permanente was found to keep some patients …

Read more

Provider Groups Allege Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Connecticut Violates Federal Parity Law

Tags: All Categories, Uncategorized

As written in Psych Today, the Connecticut Psychiatric Society, the American Psychiatric Society, and the Medical Society of Connecticut allege that Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Connecticut is violating the federal parity and other laws with new reimbursement procedures for new CPT code implementation. The provider groups believe the new CPT code procedures will leave …

Read more

Class Action Suit Filed Against United Healthcare Alleging Parity Violation

Tags: All Categories, Uncategorized

Pomerantz Law Firm Has Filed a Class Action Against UnitedHealth Group, Inc. for Violations of Federal and State Mental Health Parity Laws – UNH March 12, 2013 15:20 | Source: Pomerantz Grossman Hufford Dahlstrom & Gross LLP NEW YORK, March 12, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Pomerantz Grossman Hufford Dahlstrom & Gross LLP has filed a …

Read more

Parity Webcast

Tags: All Categories, Uncategorized

On January 16, 2013- Maryland Parity Project Director was pleased to join with students at the University of Maryland King Carey School of Law Drug Policy Clinic to present a 90 minute webcast on the federal parity law. The webcast, hosted by the Maryland Medicaid Matters Coalition,presents an overview of the law with a focus …

Read more

Montgomery County Government Complies With Parity

Tags: All Categories, Uncategorized

On February 12, 2013 Montgomery County Government released a memo stating their intention to have all county government employee health plans comply with the federal mental health parity law. Now Montgomery County Public Schools, Montgomery County Community College, and Montgomery County Government plans will be compliant.The memo and attached documents address the noncompliant section of …

Read more

HHS Releases Final Rule on Essential Health Benefits

Tags: All Categories, Uncategorized

Last week HHS released the final rule regulating the Essential Health Benefit Plans that will be sold in the large and small group markets in 2014. See entire rule Of note in the final rule: requires that plan designs are non-discriminatory clarifies that the EHB must include mental health/substance use disorder benefits at parity for …

Read more