More Plaintiffs Demand Mental Health Coverage Parity

The legal complaints begin to look the same after enough reading: a plaintiff, sometimes a minor child, named only by their first initial; an insurance company or benefit plan defendant; and a recitation of facts that includes phrases like “mental health status,” “threatened self-harm,” “condition deteriorated,” “residential facility” and, finally, “benefits denied.”

As patients increasingly seek out mental health treatments, claims for mental health benefits have continued to rise. So have cases litigating denial of benefits under ERISA-covered health plans. More plaintiffs are also adding in claims that insurers are violating the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act and ...