The Biden administration is proposing new mental health parity rules that have caused concern in the healthcare industry. The proposals include a “substantially all” test, which mandates that “non-quantitative treatment limitations” (NQTLs) must be applied equally to mental health benefits as they are to medical and surgical benefits under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act.
According to the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and the Treasury, NQTLs can include requirements like prior authorization for care. This means that any restrictions or requirements imposed on mental health benefits must be similar to those imposed on medical and surgical benefits.
The health-care industry is worried that this new test could restrict their ability to control costs for employee health plans, as they may no longer be able to implement certain cost-cutting measures that are commonly used. This could have a significant impact on how mental health services are provided and accessed within employee health plans.
While the proposals are not yet finalized, many in the healthcare industry are closely watching the developments and preparing for potential changes to how mental health benefits are managed within employee health plans. If these proposals become finalized, it will likely result in a major shift in how mental health services are provided and accessed within employee health plans.