Biden Administration Releases ‘Historic’ Final Rule on Behavioral Health-Physical Health Parity

The Biden administration has released its final rule updating mental health parity compliance for group and individual health plans. The final rule updates how federal agencies oversee whether health plans treat behavioral health benefits differently than physical health benefits. In short, it requires and spells out how health plans are to analyze nonquantitative treatment limitations (NQTL) for both types of benefit and requires plans to remedy and disparity. The rules apply to group health plans with new plan years starting after Jan. 1, 2025, with other, more technical aspects of the rule going into effect a year later. The new final rule applies to individual health plans starting on Jan. 1, 2026. NQTLs are non-numerical limits of benefits and include things such as prior authorization and other medical management techniques. Behavioral health executives and advocates have long argued that they and their patients are mistreated by health plans. They often point to practices that make it harder to get and stay in treatment. On top of that, providers often maintain that they are underpaid by health plans when providing services that are equivalent to physical health services.

OhioMHAS Virtual Data Forum - October 16

The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) is pleased to announce our next Data Forum on October 16, 2024, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The purpose of the Data Forums is to:

• highlight new data resources, share information about current and upcoming data projects;
• facilitate opportunities for peer-to-peer learning;
• demonstrate how data can be used in the daily practice of ADAMH Boards and Behavioral Health providers; and
• discuss local needs related to data and data infrastructure.

The Data Forum series will convene on a quarterly basis to provide a venue for sharing timely and useful best practices, examples, and resources for ADAMH Boards and behavioral health providers that may be implementing or updating their own data systems and data analytic capabilities.

Intended Audience

This resource is intended for any stakeholders who are interested in learning about data and data resources, including ADAMH Board and Behavioral Health provider leadership and staff who work with, manage, and communicate data at all levels.

OCTOBER 2024 DATA FORUM AGENDA

1. Overview – OhioMHAS Data Strategy, Ken Simmons, OhioMHAS  
2. Review – Ohio Youth Surveys, Jon Kraus (Ohio Department of Health) & Lara M Belliston (OhioMHAS)
3. Update – Ohio Substance Abuse Monitoring (OSAM) Network, Tom Sherba, OhioMHAS

Contact [email protected] if you have any questions.

Click Here to Register

Ohio Council's 2024 Annual Conference - Registration NOW OPEN!

Registration is now OPEN for the Ohio Council's 2024 Annual Conference. The 2024 Annual Conference will take place October 30-31, 2024, at the Hilton Columbus at Easton. This two-day conference is an exciting opportunity to connect with over 300 behavioral health care professionals across the state. Attendees will include chief executives, service and program managers, clinical directors, human resources staff, and fiscal staff of provider organizations in Ohio. 

This year, our theme is Unmasking Our Potential.

For more information about our agenda, speakers, and to register, click here!

Sponsorship Opportunities:

The Ohio Council Welcomes New Member Provider, Ever Well Community Health

Ever Well Community Health in Ravenna, OH - Erica Spencer, CEO, can be reached at [email protected] or by phone at (234) 973-9841. 

Ever Well Community Health is a for-profit organization providing individual/family counseling, case management, RN, and medication management services in Northeast Ohio.

Click here to learn more about Ever Well Community Health!