| Mental Health Parity Act |
Article Index for Mental Health |
Website Links For Mental Health |
Information AboutMental Health Parity Act |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH PARITY ACT | |
| united states federal healthcare legislation | |
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SCOPE The MHPA applies to group health plans for plan years beginning on or after January 1 , 1998 . The original Sunset Provision (providing that the parity requirements would not apply to benefits for services furnished on or after September 30 , 2001 ) has been extended six times. The current extension runs through December 31 , 2007 . REQUIREMENTS Generally the act requires parity of mental health benefits with medical and surgical benefits with respect to the application of aggregate lifetime and annual dollar limits under a group health plan It provides that Employer s retain discretion regarding the extent and scope of mental health benefits offered to workers and their families, including cost sharing, limits on numbers of visits or days of coverage, and requirements relating to Medical Necessity . EXEMPTIONS The law does not apply to benefits for Substance Abuse or Chemical Dependency . The law also contains the following two exemptions. Small employer The MHPA does not apply to any group health plan or coverage of any employer who employed an average of between 2 and 50 employees on Business Day s during the preceding calendar year, and who employs at least 2 employees on the first day of the plan year Increased Cost The MHPA does not apply to a group health plan or group health insurance coverage if the application of the parity provisions results in an increase in the cost under the plan or coverage of at least one percent REFERENCES |
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