Mental Health Insurance Parity Gets Aggressive Focus Under Biden

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 why they provide mental health benefits that differ from other medical benefits.

Employer attorneys and lobbyists say they are ill-equipped to provide the analysis. The information should come from the administrators, typically part of health insurance companies, that design and run the plans, they say. ...