BRAKING NEWS White House finalizes rule aimed at
The Biden administration announced a final rule aimed at enhancing access to and reducing costs for mental health and substance use disorder care. This rule primarily applies to group health plans and health insurance issuers for plan years beginning on or after January 1. The rule seeks to ensure that mental health and substance use disorder care on private insurance plans is covered on par with physical health benefits. This could involve adding more mental health and substance use professionals to insurance networks or streamlining administrative processes for providers. President Joe Biden emphasized the importance of treating mental health care equivalently to physical health care, stating that there should be no difference in treatment between a broken arm and a mental health condition.
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00:00Hey, good to see you the English News TV.
00:15The Biden administration announced a final rule aimed at enhancing access to and reducing
00:21costs for mental health and substance use disorder care.
00:25This rule primarily applies to group health plans and health insurance issuers for plan
00:30years beginning on or after January 1.
00:33The rule seeks to ensure that mental health and substance use disorder care on private
00:38insurance plans is covered on par with physical health benefits.
00:43This could involve adding more mental health and substance use professionals to insurance
00:47networks or streamlining administrative processes for providers.
00:52President Joe Biden emphasized the importance of treating mental health care equivalently
00:57to physical health care, stating that there should be no difference in treatment between
01:02a broken arm and a mental health condition.
01:05The rule reinforces the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act MAPEA of 2008, which
01:12mandates that insurance plans cover mental health at the same level as physical health.
01:17However, insurers have often made it difficult for individuals to access and network mental
01:23health care, leading to higher out-of-pocket costs and the need to seek out-of-network
01:27services.
01:29The new rule directs insurers to assess coverage based on several factors, such as the adequacy
01:35of the provider network, out-of-network coverage costs, and the frequency of prior authorization
01:41requirements.
01:42The goal is to make mental health care more accessible and equitable for Americans, addressing
01:47the nation's mental health crisis by ensuring that mental health services are covered at
01:52the same level as other health care services.
01:56The document discusses a significant policy change aimed at improving access to mental
02:01health care for millions of Americans.
02:03The Biden-Harris administration has issued a final rule that will require federally funded
02:09health insurance plans to comply with the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity
02:14Act MHPAEA, which previously had a loophole allowing these plans to avoid adhering to
02:19the law.
02:20This move is expected to enhance mental health care for approximately 120,000 consumers.
02:27The rule emphasizes the importance of mental health for the well-being of families and
02:32addresses the severe mental health challenges faced by Americans, including the high rates
02:38of anxiety and depression among adults and the tragically high suicide rates among young
02:42people.
02:43The enforcement of the rule will be the responsibility of the Departments of Labor, Treasury, and
02:49Health and Human Services.
02:51The administration believes that this action will remove unnecessary barriers to mental
02:56health and substance use disorder treatment, which can be a matter of life and death for
03:02many workers.
03:03Despite the rule's potential benefits, some employer groups and health insurance companies
03:09have expressed concerns about the proposed changes, suggesting they could be burdensome
03:14and might unintentionally hinder the availability and affordability of mental health care.