Massachusetts Reaches Insurer Agreements To Settle Mental Health Parity Violations

On February 27, 2020, the Massachusetts attorney general announced agreements with five health insurance companies and two companies that manage behavioral health coverage for insurers to improve access to behavioral health services and resolve violations of the federal Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA). The organizations are AllWays Health Partners; Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBS); Fallon Community Health Plan and Beacon Health Strategies; Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and United Behavioral Health, dba, Optum; and Tufts Health Plan. The state investigated the organizations’ compliance with behavioral health parity laws, as well as the accuracy of health insurers . . .