House and Senate Favor Mental Health Parity Bills

By Sally Piefer

On September 23, 2008, both the House and Senate approved legislation that would require health plans offering mental health coverage to provide the same benefits for mental illness as they do for other medical conditions. A Bush administration statement supports this legislation.

The bills would amend the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) to prohibit employer group health plans from adopting mental health treatment limitations, financial requirements, or out-of-network coverage limitations unless comparable limitations and requirements are adopted for medical and surgical benefits. Employers with fewer than 50 workers would be exempt from the parity requirements.

We will continue to keep you posted on how this bill progresses.

Published: 10/2008