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If you are an employee, does your group health insurance plan fund mental health treatments at the same rate as medical treatments? Under the law, if mental health treatments are covered, they must be paid at the same rates as surgery and other medical treatments.

Covered mental health treatments usually include visits to a licensed therapist, psychologist or psychiatrist. They may also include stints in rehab for drug or alcohol dependency. Stays in mental hospitals or the mental health wing of a hospital for ailments as diverse as post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and schizophrenia are also covered.

Prior to MHPA, many Kansas employee benefit group health insurance plans set a generous limit on medical treatment, perhaps $100,000 per year. However, mental health plans were often given short shrift, with annual limits as low as $5,000 to $10,000. Under the current law, this is illegal. Any group health insurance plan must fund mental health treatments just as they do other medical treatments, including surgery.

The Original MHPA bill was signed into law in 1996. It included a “sunset clause” that meant the Mental Health Parity Act, or MHPA was recently extended through December 31, 2007, under a law signed by the president. The bill expired on September 31, 2001. Since then, the law has been amended 5 times to extend the expiration date. Under the mental health parity act, any group health insurance plan offered to employees in the nation must cover mental health treatments just as it does any other type of treatment, including medical treatments.

Surprisingly, more than 150 million US workers are covered by group health insurance plans. The current name reflects the reality that the agency now handles as many violations of law concerning health care as pensions. The federal agency that enforces law regarding these plans is the Employee Benefits security Administration, or ESBA.

The Employee Benefits Security Administration was created in 1974 to enforce the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, affectionately known as ERISA. At that time, the agency was known as the Pension and Welfare Benefits Program In January 1986, the name was changed to the Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, or PWBA. In 2003, the agency was upgraded to sub-cabinet level and is overseen by an Assistant Secretary of Labor.

If you are an employee, does your group health insurance plan fund mental health treatments at the same rate as medical treatments? Under the law, if mental health treatments are covered, they must be paid at the same rates as surgery and other medical treatments.

Covered mental health treatments usually include visits to a licensed therapist, psychologist or psychiatrist. They may also include stints in rehab for drug or alcohol dependency. Stays in mental hospitals or the mental health wing of a hospital for ailments as diverse as post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and schizophrenia are also covered.

The Mental Health Parity Act, or MHPA was recently extended through December 31, 2007, under a law signed by the president. The original MHPA bill was signed into law in 1996. It included a “sunset clause” that meant the bill expired on September 31, 2001. Since then, the law has been amended 5 times to extend the expiration date. Under the mental health parity act, any group health insurance plan offered to employees in the nation must cover mental health treatments just as it does any other type of treatment, including medical treatments.

Prior to MHPA, many Kansas employee benefit group health insurance plans set a generous limit on medical treatment, perhaps $100,000 per year. However, mental health treatments were often given short shrift, with annual limits as low as $5,000 to $10,000. Under the current law, this is illegal. Any group health insurance plan must fund mental health treatments just as they do other medical treatments, including surgery.

Surprisingly, more than 150 million US workers are covered by group health insurance plans. The current name reflects the reality that the agency now handles as many violations of law concerning health care as pensions. The federal agency that enforces law regarding these plans is the Employee Benefits security Administration, or ESBA. The Employee Benefits Security Administration was created in 1974 to enforce the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, affectionately known as ERISA.

At that time, the agency was known as the Pension and Welfare Benefits Program In January 1986, the name was changed to the Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, or PWBA. In 2003, the agency was upgraded to sub-cabinet level with oversight by an Assistant Secretary of Labor.