The Biden administration is introducing legislation that makes mental health care more accessible

Starting Jan. 1, Americans with private health insurance should get better access to mental health care, as well as care to help reduce substance abuse, officials said. in the government announced Monday.

“Like medical care, mental health care is critical to the well-being of America’s workforce,” U.S. Labor Secretary Julie Su said in a statement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“The final rules issued today make it easier for people living with mental health conditions and substance use disorders to get the life-saving care they often need,” Su said.

The bottom line is that, starting in 2025, private insurers must provide coverage for mental illness just as they would for physical health, “without setting significant restrictions on mental health or substance use benefits compared to medical and surgical benefits,” HHS said in its statement.

The new rules are intended to ease restrictions on care that insurers often place on policyholders, including higher out-of-pocket costs.

Other restrictions include requirements that limit the amount or duration of mental health care benefits (such as prior authorization requirements), the use of “step” therapy, as well as standards that may cause providers to not be accepted on certain networks.

Changes have been a long time coming: Congress passed the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act in 2008.

However, 16 years later, barriers remain that keep people covered by health insurance from accessing mental health care.

“The final rules are important steps to ensure that people in need can get the care they need without jumping through hoops they don’t face when trying to get medical care. or surgery,” said Lisa Gomez, Deputy Assistant Secretary. Employee Benefits Protection. “Eliminating the stigma surrounding mental health conditions and substance use disorders requires a collective effort, and we appreciate the valuable feedback we’ve received from stakeholders—planners, care providers and participants-to create these final rules.”

While most of the new regulations go into effect on Jan. 1, some requirements “may take longer to implement,” HHS said, and those will go into effect about a year later.

Importantly, the new laws do not mandate that employers provide mental health care coverage to employees.

The health insurance industry has already resisted other changes.

In a statement, the ERISA Industry Committee, which represents major employers, warned that some of the rules are “so burdensome that many of our members will have no choice but to rethink the nature and the level of security of their projects.”

And AHIP, which represents insurers, said in a statement issued last year that “our members are deeply concerned that the proposed legislation, if passed, will move our health care system away from the health crisis mental health/drug use care for the millions of Americans who would benefit.”

However, the Biden administration believes the new regulations give employers and insurers a new definition of what to expect in 2025 and beyond.

“Mental care is health care. But for too many Americans, essential care and treatment is out of reach,” President Joe Biden said in a statement. “Today, my Administration is taking action to address our nation’s mental health crisis by ensuring that mental health coverage will be covered to the same extent as health care. for Americans. There is no reason that a broken arm should be treated any differently than a healthy condition.”

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