Another Round Of Parity – This Time For Medicaid

Parity may soon become more so – earlier this month, the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a proposed rule that would apply the provisions of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA) to Medicaid managed care organizations (MCO), Medicaid alternative benefit plans, and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) plans (see CMS Proposes Mental Health Parity Rule For Medicaid & CHIP Plans).

The MHPAEA requires that health plans provide behavioral health benefits at parity with medical/surgical benefits of the same class – and this has gained a lot of attention in the industry . . .