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Final Mental Health Parity Regulations: Revised Standards, Plan Fiduciary Certification, Comparative Analyses, and More

A live 90-minute premium CLE video webinar with interactive Q&A

This program is included with the Strafford CLE Pass. Click for more information.
This program is included with the Strafford All-Access Pass. Click for more information.

Tuesday, November 19, 2024

1:00pm-2:30pm EST, 10:00am-11:30am PST

Early Registration Discount Deadline, Friday, October 25, 2024

or call 1-800-926-7926

This CLE webinar will provide benefits counsel and advisers with guidance on overcoming challenges in ensuring compliance with the recently released final Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) rules and requirements for plan sponsors and insurers. The panel will discuss the requirements of MHPAEA for health plans that provide mental health and substance abuse disorder (MH/SUD) benefits, new standards for "meaningful benefits" and nonquantitative treatment limitations (NQTL), comparative analysis requirements, ERISA disclosure requirements, DOL enforcement of parity violations, and best practices for ensuring compliance with MHPAEA rules.

Description

On Sept. 9, 2024, final MHPAEA regulations were released providing significant challenges for plan sponsors in ensuring that their health plans remain compliant. In addition to the strict requirements under the final MHPAEA regulations, health plans providing MH/SUD benefits must ensure compliance with CAA requirements and recent federal regulations.

All group health plans and insurers that provide MH/SUD benefits must comply with parity rules, with limited exceptions. Benefits counsel and advisers must address the risks to plan sponsors and insurers by reassessing current health plans, adhering to the new final MHPAEA rules and disclosure obligations under ERISA, and confronting other issues that result in DOL or HHS audits or class action lawsuits.

Under the 2021 CAA, plan sponsors and insurers must perform and document a comparative analysis of the design and application of NQTLs and the duty to disclose this analysis and related information to the DOL or HHS (or participants and beneficiaries) on request. The final regulations amend existing provisions and provide new requirements for NQTL comparative analyses as mandated by the CAA. In addition, the final regulations also encompasses new standards for determining "meaningful benefits" under the regulations.

Listen as our panel discusses the legal requirements of the parity rules under the MHPAEA regulations, CAA requirements, ERISA disclosure requirements, recent DOL and HHS enforcement of parity violations, and techniques for maintaining compliance and handling DOL and HHS health plan audits and plaintiff lawsuits.

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Outline

  1. Final MHPAEA rules and exceptions for plans providing MH/SUD benefits
  2. CAA comparative analysis requirements and other rules
  3. Determining "meaningful benefits" in light of new standards
  4. DOL, HHS, and Treasury guidance for MHPAEA and ERISA compliance
  5. DOL and HHS parity compliance enforcement and handling health plan audits
  6. Best practices for conducting internal audits of group health plans for MHPAEA compliance

Benefits

The panel will review these and other crucial questions:

  • Final MHPAEA rules and legal requirements for plans providing MH/SUD benefits
  • DOL, HHS, and IRS guidance on MHPAEA compliance and implementation
  • Comparative analysis requirement for any NQTLs under the CAA
  • New standards for "meaningful benefits" and NQTLs
  • ERISA disclosure requirements for health plans providing MH/SUD benefits
  • DOL and HHS compliance enforcement and handling health plan audits

Faculty

Campbell, Lisa
Lisa Campbell

Principal, Health Services Co-Chair
Groom Law Group

Ms. Campbell is co-chair of the firm’s Health Services group. She advises clients on all aspects of the...  |  Read More

Fepelstein, Allison
Allison J. Fepelstein

Associate
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius

Ms. Fepelstein advises clients on health and welfare plans, helping them stay in compliance with applicable...  |  Read More

Shillcutt, David
David Shillcutt

Senior Counsel
Epstein Becker & Green

Mr. Shillcutt has deep experience in the areas of behavioral health, government and commercial reimbursement, and...  |  Read More

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Early Discount (through 10/25/24)

You may pre-order a recording to listen at your convenience. Recordings are available 48 hours after the webinar. Strafford will process CLE credit for one person on each recording. All formats include course handouts.

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