The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA or “parity”) – particularly in the context of the Patient Protection and Affordable care Act (PPACA or “reform”) – raises every conceivable question and concern in our field. As might be expected, health plans are wrestling with interpretation and procedural questions, employers are asking for delays [...]

California’s experience with Parity since the year 2000 provides a glimpse into many of the potential pitfalls as well as a handful of thoughtful recommendations for greater success in implementation. The California experience reveals that, above all, communication to consumers and providers is critical. What was learned in California and [...]

Next week’s webinar will offer payors a roadmap to readiness. Register here:
http://behavioralhealthcentral.com/index.php/Event-Registration/vmchk.ht
Parity Legislation Compliance Webinar Series
Part 1: Getting Ready for Mental Health Parity
Wednesday, December 9 at 2 p.m.

Sign up on or before December 4th and save $150! Enter ”parity” at checkout to receive your early registration discount.
The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) was signed into [...]

I am attending the California Association of Health Plans annual conference this week and thought I would share some of what I am observing. For starters, Howard Khan, CEO of LA Care Health Plan and Chairman of CAHP Board provided a keynote that immediately established the context where health plans are concerned. He pointed to [...]

The Commonwealth Fund has released it 2009 report titled: “Aiming Higher – Results from A State Scorecard on Health System Performance” and the evidence is irrefutable where suicide prevention is concerned.  States that demonstrate improved access to mental health care, especially among the most vulnerable populations, show a dramatic decrease in the rate of [...]

The American Psychological Association (APA) announced today that it supports H.R. 3200, America’s Affordable Health Choices Act, as the basis for health reform. This action follows the American Medical Association’s (AMA) decision to do the same. The benefits of the bill cited by the APA include:

Requiring a “basic benefit package” for all plans in the [...]

Today is Suicide Prevention Day sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP). The relationship between suicide prevention and the breadth and value of behavioral health coverage as well as access to qualified experts who deliver evidence-based practices is clear and crucial. Enhanced care and coverage does positively [...]

Edward ‘Ted” Kennedy died early this morning following a courageous battle with brain cancer at the age of 77. In his 46+ years service in the Senate he sponsored, championed and advocated on behalf of civil rights issues, the poor, the uninsured, the under-insured, the disabled and those suffering from mental health and substance use [...]

We recently presented to the State Associations of Addictions Services (SAAS) at their annual summit in Tucson where they had joined forces with NIATx (and by extension SAMHSA and NIDA) in the interest of exploring patient engagement strategies, the exchange of process improvement ideas, and understanding how healthcare reform and the Mental Health Parity and [...]

As we approach the launch of Parity this Fall and Winter and slog through the trials and tribulations of the Healthcare Reform “process” in Washington DC, we are reminded that one of the overarching goals for both Parity and Reform is enhanced access to high-quality care.  I don’t know about you but that particular goal [...]