Healthcare leaders committed to behavioral health "best practices" during an HHS roundtable event on Wednesday, while a key law on insurance coverage for mental health remains in limbo.
Insurers, medical societies, and other health industry leaders pledged to "advance evidence-based, high-quality, patient-centered care for individuals experiencing mental health conditions and the chronic disease of addiction." Specific best practices include timely access to treatment and evidence-based and patient-centered care, according to the HHS press release.
These commitments arrive at a time when the existing Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA) is being walked back by the Trump administration.
MHPAEA requires insurers and health plans to provide coverage for mental health and substance use disorders comparable to how they cover other kinds of medical care. A federal rule during the Biden era further strengthened the standards for demonstrating such parity in coverage. However, a legal challenge ensued, with the Trump administration indicating that it does not intend to enforce MHPAEA while it is being reviewed.
Now, enforcement varies by state, Scott Falkowitz, DO, medical director for Northwell's school mental health program and a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Cohen Children's Medical Center in Glen Oaks, New York, noted in a recent interview with MedPage Today.
