In March, President Obama created the Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Parity Task Force in an effort to ensure that coverage for behavioral health conditions is comparable to medical and surgical benefits. In support of the White House’s goals of identifying and promoting best practices in parity compliance and implementation, SAMHSA, together with its partners across the federal government, has developed a resource for states and other stakeholders, Approaches in Implementing the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act: Best Practices From the States.
To develop the guide, SAMHSA consulted with insurance commissioners and other officials from seven states with robust parity implementation efforts. The states identified five primary components that they considered essential for the successful implementation and monitoring of parity: open channels of communication; standardization of materials; creation of templates, workbooks, and other tools; implementation of market conduct exams and network adequacy assessments; and collaboration with multiple state and federal agencies, health insurance carriers, and stakeholder groups.
States and other stakeholders can use the approaches described in the publication to promote implementation and compliance, ensuring parity for all Americans.
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