Issue link: https://blog.providence.org/i/1035653
Evaluating State Mental Health and Addiction Parity Statutes: A Technical Report 13 Promising Practices I n 2016, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) published an Issue Brief "Approaches to Implementing Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act: Best Practices from the States" 14 resulting from interviews with seven states (California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, and Rhode Island). The report identified five primary components that they considered critical for the successful implementation and monitoring of parity: n Open channels of communication n Standardization of materials n Creation of templates, workbooks, and other tools n Implementation of market conduct examinations and network adequacy assessments n Collaboration with multiple state and federal agencies, health insurance carriers, and stakeholder groups In our review of source documents, the qualitative environmental scan, and consultation with experts, several promising practices were identified as important steps in ensuring that individuals have access to quality care. What follows is not an exhaustive list, but these exemplars can help improve readers' understanding of how these practices could work to supplement state laws, and help make parity a reality. Market conduct examinations are carried out by state insurance regulators in order to assess if health insurers' operations, practices, plans, and policies are compliant with federal and state laws and regulations in order to determine the insurer's authority to issue insurance within the state. Network adequacy assessments are typically conducted by regulators to determine if the providers contracted by the plan or policy to provide medical and/or mental health and substance use disorder services are at capacity sufficient to serve the beneficiary population, as determined by federal and state requirements. ________________ 14 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2016). Approaches in Implementing the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act: Best Practices from the States (HHS Publication No. SMA-16-4983). Rockville, MD: U.S. Government Printing Office.