Missouri to become last state to enforce federal MH parity law

Abstract

Under a new state law that went into effect late last month, Missouri will become the final state to enforce a federal law designed to ensure mental health care is covered by insurance providers the same as treatments for physical ailments, The Joplin Globe reported Sept. 12. The provisions were included in House Bill 604, an omnibus insurance bill sponsored by Rep. Kurtis Gregory (R‐Marshall) that was signed into law by Gov. Mike Parson in July. The provisions enforcing the federal law will apply to insurance providers starting Jan. 1, 2022. Initially filed as standalone bills by Kansas City Democrats Sen. Greg Razer and Rep. Patty Lewis, the measures codify in state statute that health insurance plans must meet the requirements of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008. “This is a really important step,” said David Lloyd, a senior policy advisor with The Kennedy Forum, which tracks the federal law's enforcement nationwide, “because it was almost a little bit of a no man's land in terms of who was in charge of oversight of commercial insurance plans that are fully insured.”