Parity? Possibly

At the end of July, the Biden Administration proposed new regulations related to our nation’s mental health parity laws. And this is important, but first, let’s explain what parity is.

Parity, in the context of mental health care, means essentially requiring insurance companies to cover mental health conditions the same way they cover physical health conditions. Too often insurance had been one of many barriers to care for those seeking mental health support.

Mental health parity laws are meant to narrow that gap. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. One way that insurance companies have historically gotten around covering mental health conditions are through nonquantitative treatment limitations (NQTLs). NQTLs are non-numeric conditions that are used to manage care. Common examples of NQTLs are prior authorizations, referrals, etc. These have no numeric connection to a person’s health or need, yet still have been used to deny care in too many cases.

The Biden regulations seek to limit how and when insurance companies can use NQTL in their coverage decisions. And while this might not completely achieve parity in the insurance realm, it is certainly a step in the right direction.

Mental health care is physical health care. You can’t cover a cancer in someone’s body while ignoring darkness in their mind. The LegalMind Society strongly supports this step and will shortly be sharing proposed comments that you can submit to the federal government in support of these changes. Comments are due October 2nd.

There are certainly many other ways in which mental health needs to be treated on par with physical health, especially in the legal profession. And while The LegalMind Society will continue to speak to those issues as well, we will not wait for perfect, for perfect all too often is the enemy of good. And these are good steps that are being proposed.

In the meantime, if you are a legal professional struggling with your mental health, know that we offer free virtual peer support, regardless of insurance coverage or ability to pay. We’ve got your back. Email info@thelegalmindsociety.org to learn more about our response to these proposed regulations or to learn more about our peer support program.