Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, Donald Norcross, Ann Kuster and Joe Courtney introduced the Parity Enforcement Act, H.R. 1364, which expands the U.S. Department of Labor’s authority to hold health insurers and plan sponsors accountable for offering health plans that violate the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008.
“The mental health and opioid epidemic sweeping across our nation has only been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, more than ever, we must ensure that all Americans have the access they need to seek out effective mental health and addiction treatment,” Fitzpatrick said. “It is unacceptable when some bad actor insurance companies are able to get away with not following parity laws, whether it be through denying treatment or making access to treatment difficult. Our bipartisan Parity Enforcement Act will empower the U.S. Department of Labor to discourage these unlawful actions and ensure that employer-sponsored insurance plans are compliant with parity rules.”
The Parity Enforcement Act is supported by a variety of advocacy leaders, including the Kennedy Forum, the American Psychological Association, the American Society of Addiction Medicine and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
