Mental health benefits mandated this fall

We’re upgrading our mental health benefits to comply with the new Mental Health Parity law for groups of 51 or more employees, scheduled to go into effect in October (some union contracts may have a different effective date). Our benefit upgrades build on our current integrated, comprehensive approach linking medical and behavioral health benefits.

Beginning October 3, 2009, the law requires:

• Financial equity in deductibles, copayments, coinsurance, out-of-pocket limits, lifetime limits and annual limits
• Treatment equity in limits on the frequency of treatment, number of visits, days of coverage or other similar limits on the scope or duration of treatment

Priority Health will assume that all groups with 51 or more employees are required to comply with Mental Health Parity legislation unless a group states otherwise.