Case: Health & Welfare Benefits/Mental Health (D. Utah)

A father’s lawsuit alleging that United HealthCare Services Inc. wrongly denied coverage for his teenage son’s stay at a residential treatment facility can go forward, the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah said as it denied United’s motion to dismiss. The family claims that United violated the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act by using stricter criteria for determining the medical necessity of treatments at mental health facilities than it uses for analogous medical and surgical facilities. The family successfully identified medical and surgical treatments for which United allegedly uses more forgiving coverage criteria, the court said. ...