Cigna Ducks Claims Under Missouri Mental Health Parity Law

Missouri’s mental health parity law is preempted by the federal employee benefits statute to the extent it regulates self-funded health plans covered by ERISA, a federal judge ruled in a decision favoring Cigna Health & Life Insurance Co.

Bruce Williams’s lawsuit, which seeks coverage for his son’s mental health treatments, lacks a viable claim under Missouri’s Mental Health Parity Act, because his health plan is self-insured by his employer rather than through an insurance contract, Judge Stephen R. Clark of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri said in a Nov. 19 opinion. The Missouri law is ...