Events

A Webinar from The Kennedy Forum Featuring U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated an existing mental health and addiction crisis in this country. One that is fueling soaring rates of depression and anxiety, driving fatal overdoses, and changing the trajectory of countless young lives. Awareness of this impact is not enough. People need better access to quality, affordable mental health and addiction care now.

Fortunately, the Biden Administration has prioritized enforcement of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, which requires health plans in the individual, small and group markets, and health insurance issuers to cover mental health and addiction treatment no more restrictively than physical health treatment. In its 2022 report, the Department of Health and Human Services, with the Departments of Labor and Treasury identified numerous compliance issues that continue to serve as barriers to accessing needed care. While the Department of Labor enforces parity in employer-sponsored plans, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) plays a critical role in helping to ensure parity in Medicaid managed care plans, Alternative Benefit Plans, Children’s Health Insurance Programs, ACA marketplace plans, and self-funded state and local government plans. These types of plans cover tens of millions of Americans, including a disproportionate number of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and children.

Join The Kennedy Forum’s latest webinar to hear directly from HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra about the department’s new parity efforts. Other esteemed panelists, including former U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy, lead author of the 2008 Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, will join in this important conversation about the future of mental health and addiction care.

Focus Areas to Include

New statutory requirements requiring many health plans to conduct detailed parity analyses
Common parity violations and how they inhibit access to care
How HHS is enforcing parity in collaboration with states
Generally accepted standards of care and the impact of new state laws requiring plans to follow for these standards
Gaps in the Parity Act, including self-funded state and local plan opt outs and the lack of parity requirements in Medicare and traditional Medicaid