Medscape (10/28, Brooks) reported, “In its final report, the White House’s Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Parity Task Force” outlined “a series of actions and recommendations” to increase “compliance with mental health parity laws.”
Those actions “include $9.3 million in funds from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to states to help insurance regulators monitor compliance with mental health and substance use disorder parity protections.”
For its part, “‘the American Psychiatric Association (APA) ;welcomes this much-needed report to strengthen implementation and enforcement of existing mental health parity laws,’ APA President Maria A. Oquendo, MD, PhD, said in a statement.” Dr. Oquendo added, “Full implementation and stronger enforcement will help ensure that psychiatric conditions are treated the same as other illnesses and individuals can access the treatment they need.” APA CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, MD, MPA, stated, “APA trusts that Congress and the Administration will work together to ensure that the recommendations become reality.”
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