Mental Health Parity Rules for Employer-Sponsored Medical Plans

The Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 requires employer-sponsored group health plans to give benefits for mental health (MH) and substance use disorder (SUD) the same benefits as for other health issues. There have been problems making this legislation truly effective. On September 9, 2024, the Departments of the Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services issued final rules to “further MHPAEA’s fundamental purpose.” This means that employees seeking treatment for covered MH conditions or SUDs do not face greater burdens on access to benefits for those conditions or disorders than they would face when seeking coverage for the treatment of a medical condition or a surgical procedure. Most of the rules are effective January 1, 2025. #IdeaoftheDay