A new Massachusetts law signed by Governor Deval Patrick on August 6, 2012 requires insurance carriers to submit an annual report to the Attorney General demonstrating their compliance with the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act. The law requires the Insurance Commissioner to promulgate regulations by July 2012 to facilitate this process.
Highlights of the law include:
- a requirement that all carriers and their contractors demonstrate compliance with no exceptions
- the Insurance Commissioner may hold a public hearing relative to the annual report
- regulations will determine specific information to be included in the annual report
Maryland advocates are continuing to push for the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange to require a similar demonstration of compliance for qualified health plans sold through the Exchange. Without this demonstration, we can never be sure that plans will comply with all aspects of the federal mental health parity law.