The Puzzle of Parity: Implementing Behavioral Health Parity

Abstract

At a conference held at Seton Hall School of Law on September 16, 2016, academics, regulators, advocates, and plan representatives came together to share ideas on how parity implementation can be achieved. Uncertainty is the enemy of all interested parties, and each participant offered wisdom and experience to the efforts to move forward to fair and appropriate coverage of behavioral health services. This Briefing Report details the conference’s proceedings, describes and analyzes the areas of parity concern raised, and provides action items and recommendations to advance the goal of effective and efficient parity implementation.

Keywords: mental health parity, behavioral health parity, non-quantitative treatment limitations, NQTLs, utilization management, parity implementation, parity enforcement