October 3, 2022
The House pass the Mental Health Matters Act (H.R.7780), which would hold employer-based health plans more accountable for improper denials of mental health and substance use benefits. The legislation also "would give the Department of Labor to enforce plan requirements under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act and Employee Retirement Income Security Act, ban forced arbitration agreements when plans improperly deny benefits and ensure a fair standard of review by the courts," as explained in the American Hospital Association in its AHA News Today (September 29, 2022). In addition, the Mental Health Matters Act includes provisions for awarding grants to support recruitment and retention of school-based mental health professionals, as well as to connect schools with local mental health systems.
Click here to read this bill.
