The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) was signed into law in 2008 and becomes effective for the majority of health plans beginning January 1, 2010. Despite the fact that regulations are not expected to be released until after that date, payers must still be in compliance by the deadline in order to avoid the potential of costly penalties associated with non-compliance. As plans and employers are working now to make often significant changes to coverage, business processes and systems, there remain a number of unanswered questions, business challenges and open issues, such as the following:
* What does parity actually entail?
* When is a provider network adequate to meet the needs of people suffering from Serious Mental Illness and children with Serious Emotional Disturbances, for example?
* How can plans and employers avoid common medical cost offset traps in their plan designs?
* What steps can plans take to ensure compliance with the law while avoiding significant cost increases?
* Is a “carve-out” still the easiest “go-forward” strategy? When is the time right for a “carve-in”?
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