BarbriSFCourseDetails
  1. keyboard_arrow_leftBack

Course Details

Course Information
  • smart_display Format

    On-Demand

  • signal_cellular_alt Difficulty Level

    Intermediate

  • work Practice Area

    Health

Date & Time
  • event Date

    Wednesday, November 20, 2024

  • schedule Time

    1:00 p.m. ET./10:00 a.m. PT

  • timer Program Length

    90 minutes

Credit Information

  • This 90-minute webinar is eligible in most states for 1.5 CLE credits.

$297.00
CLE
ALL

This CLE webinar will provide a comprehensive overview of the recently released final rule issued by the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and the Treasury that implements the non-quantitative treatment limit (NQTL) aspects of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) to ensure parity between mental health/substance use disorder benefits (MH/SUD) and medical/surgical benefits (M/S). The panel will discuss the impact on covered entities and offer best practices for compliance.

Faculty

Roberta Casper Watson
Partner
The Wagner Law Group, LLP

Ms. Watson focuses on ERISA and employee benefits. She concentrates on a wide array of areas including, pension and profit sharing plans, health and welfare benefit plans, including COBRA, HIPAA and the Affordable Care Act, ERISA fiduciary decision-making, Employee Stock Ownership Plans, benefits litigation backup, benefits aspects of mergers and acquisitions, employee benefits aspects of family law, labor laws affecting employee benefits, other employee benefits and deferred Compensation, and employee benefit disputes and employee benefits claims.

expand_circle_down Expand to View Full Bio expand_circle_up Collapse Bio
Emily Lucco
Attorney
Groom Law Group Chtd - Washington

Ms. Lucco advises clients on a variety of health law matters, counseling plan sponsors, insurers, and third-party administrators on a broad array of issues relating to ERISA, COBRA, the ACA, and the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act. She also advises clients on compliance issues related to wellness programs under HIPAA, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act. Ms. Lucco represents employers designing health plans as well as insurers designing new products. Recently she has helped insurers conduct internal ACA audits of their business. She has also been involved in helping both employers and insurers defend government investigations.

expand_circle_down Expand to View Full Bio expand_circle_up Collapse Bio
John L. Barlament
Shareholder
Parent: Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren S.C.

Mr. Barlament practices in all areas of employee benefits law, but with a focus on health and welfare plan matters. He is nationally recognized in this area and works with clients around the country. Mr. Barlament counsels employers, plan fiduciaries, multiemployer plans, pharmacy benefit managers, insurers, insurance brokers, third-party administrators and other plan service providers on a range of employee benefit matters. His clients rely on him for innovative, proactive strategies related to employee benefit laws, including ERISA, HIPAA, the ACA, and the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act. Mr. Barlament frequently presents on an array of employee benefits topics and is recognized as a national leader in these constantly changing areas of law.

expand_circle_down Expand to View Full Bio expand_circle_up Collapse Bio

Description

A new final rule recently issued by HHS, Labor, and the Treasury implements the NQTL aspects of the MHPAEA and is part of an ongoing effort to ensure parity between MH/SUD and M/S. Certain requirements will be effective for group health plans as early as Jan. 1, 2025 with other requirements delayed until 2026.

NQTLs are non-numerical limits on the scope or duration of benefits for treatment (e.g., preauthorization requirements; plan methods for determining usual, customary, and reasonable charges; and restrictions based on geographic location, facility type, provider specialty, and other criteria that limit the scope or duration of benefits for services provided under the plan or coverage).

The final rule applies to nearly all forms of commercial health benefits and insurance in the U.S. Key provisions of the final rule include:

- Prohibiting the application of an NQTL on MH/SUD benefits that is more restrictive than the predominant NQTL applied to substantially all M/S benefits in the same classification;
- Collecting and analyzing data and addressing differences in access to MH/SUD care as compared to M/S benefits;
- Performing comparative analyses to measure the impact of NQTLs per the new rule's requirements; and
- Prohibiting the use of discriminatory information when designating NQTLs.

Counsel should understand the final rule to assist clients with navigating the expansive new requirements.

Listen as our expert panel provides a comprehensive overview of the final rule's requirements for parity of MH/SUD benefits under the MHPEA. The panel will address the impact on covered providers and provide best practices for compliance.

Outline

  1. Introduction to MHPAEA
    • Purpose
    • Covered entities
    • NQTLs
    • History of the final rule
  2. The final rule
    • Key provisions
    • Compliance timeline
    • Consequences for noncompliance
  3. Plan sponsor and insurer impact
  4. Remaining questions/issues
  5. Practitioner takeaways

Benefits

The panel will review these and other key considerations:

  • Who is covered by the final rule?
  • What are the new compliance requirements for plan sponsors and insurers under the final rule?
  • What are key differences between the final rule and the 2023 proposed rule?
  • What impact will the final rule have on agency MHPAEA enforcement? On responses to agency inquiries?
  • What questions/issues are left unanswered by the final rule?