Reporting Concerns

To report specific concerns or ask questions about how a group health plan may be implementing the law, send an email to hsf@psych.org or call to leave a voice mail message (toll free) 866.882.6227.  APA's Office of Healthcare Systems & Financing is monitoring compliance with the Mental Health Parity Act.

• Along with a brief statement of the problem, your message should include your name and contact information (email/phone), the health plan's name, type of health plan (e.g., is it a group health plan, is it a self-funded health plan, etc.), the state where the insurance is issued, and whether the company employs 50 or fewer employees.  Information provided to us will be held confidential.

Filing Complaints and Grievances

State

To file a complaint or grievance with your state's insurance consumer complaints division click on the following link http://www.naic.org/state_web_map.htm, which opens NAIC's Maps & Jurisdictions page. Click on your state or choose the state name from the drop down menu to be redirected to the Department of Insurance webpage.

ERISA

For information on how to file an ERISA complaint call the Department of Labor (DoL)/EBSA at 1.866.444.3272 or view their site at http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/.

EBSA Regional and District Offices

Fact Sheet on the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (DOL/EBSA).

FAQ about MHPAEA (DOL/EBSA)

Additional Resources

• We invite you to visit FamiliesUSA's excellent webpage Resources on Benefit Denials and Appeals Under ERISA.  [The following is an excerpt from that page and is the property of FamiliesUsa.]

Information about the ERISA Claims and Appeal Regulations 

On July 1, 2002, the U.S. Department of Labor, under authority granted by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), put into effect new regulations covering claims procedures for employer-based health plans The regulations contain new rights and disclosure provisions important to consumers with disputed claims.

• Overview of ERISA Claims Procedure Regulations (includes links to the rules)
• Summary of Main Provisions of Claims and Appeals Procedures
• Glossary of Terms
• Urgent Service Claim Timeline
• Pre-Service Claim Timeline
• Post-Service Claim Timeline
  

• Kaiser Familiy Foundation:  A Consumer Guide to Handling Disputes with Your Employer or Private Health Plan, 2005 Update

News:

Federal Parity Guidelines/Interim Final Rule [IFR] with comment period released 1.29.10

The Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and the Treasury jointly issued interim final regulations [IFR] to provide guidance on how the parity act must be implemented.  Comment deadline was May 3, 2010.

APA Reacts to the Mental Health Parity Regulations 1.29.10