The Minneapolis Star Tribune (4/7, Spencer) reported that a class-action lawsuit filed against UnitedHealth Group will test the Federal law that says insurance companies cannot treat “mental health claims differently from medical and surgical claims.” The lawsuit was brought by the parents of a child with bipolar disorder, “two other individuals and the New York State Psychiatric Association,” and “could set a major precedent for mental health coverage in the era of healthcare reform.” The case is notable because it does not rely solely on state law for an individual claim but instead “relies heavily on the federal parity law, as well as the federal Affordable Care Act.” UnitedHealth, based in Minnetonka, Minnesota, “declined to discuss the suit, which was filed in New York on March 11.”
Related Links:
— “Suit against UnitedHealth tests mental health coverage rules, “Jim Spencer, The Minneapolis Star Tribune, April 7, 2013.