MICHIGAN (WNEM) – The Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) has expressed support for newly proposed federal rules to help improve access to timely, high-quality mental health and substance use disorder treatments.
The comments by the DIFS were submitted to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration.
According to the state, the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA), first passed in 2008 and expanded in 2010 and 2021, requires most health insurers and plans to cover mental health and substance use disorder treatments without cost, or use restrictions that are more restrictive than those applied to other covered treatments.
The expanded law put testing and data reporting requirements into place to help state agencies and the federal government implement these rules.
“Mental health care is just as important as physical health care, and we will continue to do everything within our power to ensure that Michiganders can get coverage for the treatments they need to stay healthy,” said Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) Director Anita Fox.
According to the state, the newly proposed rules strengthen the consumer protections under MHPAEA by adding controls for treatment limitations, such as prior authorization requirements, standards for provider admission to insurance networks, and methodologies for determining provider reimbursement rates.
Additionally, the proposed rules would put into place more data reporting requirements that would have insurers collect and evaluate relevant outcomes data, identify any material differences between the types of benefits, and remedy any identified differences, the state said.
If the rules are finalized, the new requirements will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2025 for group health plans, and Jan. 1, 2026 for individual health plans.
For more information, like how to find free local help from navigators, head to the DIFS website or calling DIFS at 877-999-6442. It is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
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