A group of seven senators is urging the Biden administration to finalize tougher mental health parity standards it proposed last year, Politico reported June 6.
In July, the administration proposed mental health parity standards that would clarify that insurers cannot have more restrictive prior authorization standards or narrow networks for mental healthcare. It also would require plans to study the outcome of their mental health coverage policies, including network size, out-of-network payment policies and prior authorizations.
The proposal has faced resistance from insurers and employer groups, who say the standards are unworkable and will not improve access to care. In April, the ERISA Industry Committee, which represents large employers, launched an advertising campaign against the proposal.
In a letter published June 6, the seven senators urged HHS and other federal agencies to move ahead with the proposal.
"These commonsense parity rules will help Americans suffering from mental health conditions or substance use disorder, reduce costs for taxpayers and save lives," the senators wrote.
The Treasury Department is targeting June to finalize the regulations, Politico reported.