Stakeholders upset by the Build Back Better package’s inclusion of civil monetary penalties for violations of the mental health parity law are pressing congressional leadership to make last-minute changes that would give firms compliance assistance and appeals rights if the provision moves forward. The letter comes a day after the Congressional Budget Office said granting […]

Democrats want to beef up enforcement of rules meant to make it easier to access mental health services using insurance. Business groups say the move won’t work and is a ploy to pay for Democrats’ wide-reaching social spending agenda. Tucked into a once-$3.5 trillion domestic spending package is a provision empowering the government to fine […]

A bipartisan group of 144 House lawmakers plans to unveil their agenda Wednesday for expanding access to mental health care and combating the growing drug epidemic after overdose deaths hit new highs, CQ Roll Call has learned first exclusively. The group plans to announce its agenda of 66 bills and one resolution during a midday […]

Health insurance companies are now in the crosshairs of the Department of Labor’s aggressive enforcement of mental health parity, but it’s unlikely to mean employers will escape scrutiny. In what appeared to be a first for the department, it initiated litigation last month against an insurer to ensure health plans offering mental health and substance […]

During the pandemic, we’ve seen access to health care decrease and various health problems deepen as a result. A study published in Annals of Emergency Medicine shows that hospital visits for opioid overdose increased by about 28 percent in the U.S. in 2020 compared to 2018 and 2019. Emergency department (ED) visits overall decreased in 2020 by […]

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has awarded 100 grants to increase access to facilities throughout the nation that provide community-based support for Americans in need of substance use disorder and mental health treatment services. Totaling $250 million, including $77 million from the American Rescue Plan (ARP), the grants support the Biden-Harris […]

Opioid treatment program directors across the country say Medicaid reimbursement in their states isn’t adequate to ensure the highest quality services and some facilities might stop accepting Medicaid if they aren’t paid more — but a representative for Medicaid directors says while most Medicaid providers want more money, OTPs aren’t closing their doors en masse. […]

The Biden administration Monday loosened requirements for drug addiction treatment providers to dispense methadone through mobile clinics, a move that could help ease access for underserved communities. A final rule (RIN: 1117-AB43) by the Drug Enforcement Administration provides that narcotic treatment providers wishing to dispense drugs through a mobile component don’t need to separately register for that […]

Employers that are having trouble explaining why their mental health coverage for employees differs from medical coverage aren’t going to get sympathy from the Department of Labor. The DOL began auditing employer-sponsored health plans in April for compliance with the Consolidated Appropriations Act enacted in December 2020, which requires the plans to analyze and document […]