New Regulations For Mental Health Parity Affecting Group Health Plans

Final regulations implementing the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) of 2008 go into effect April 5, 2010, impacting employers with 50 or more workers whose group health plan chooses to offer mental health or substance use disorder benefits. The new rules, issued in January by the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and the Treasury Department, are effective for plan years beginning on or after July 1, 2010. They prohibit employer-provided group health plans from applying different coverage standards for mental health disorders or substance abuse treatment than those applied for general medical treatment or surgery.

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