WASHINGTON, D.C., March 4, 2020 – Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey last week announced an agreement between five health insurance companies and two companies that manage behavioral health coverage for insurers that will provide improved access to behavioral health services for more than one million residents in the state and modify how reimbursement rates are determined. These long-overdue changes will ensure parity in reimbursement rates for the behavioral health services, medical and surgical services offered by providers
See the statement below from National Council for Mental Wellbeing President and CEO Chuck Ingoglia on the Massachusetts behavioral health services settlement.
“The settlement in Massachusetts between insurance companies and companies that manage behavioral health coverage could represent a dramatic improvement in access to mental health and addiction services the state’s residents receive.
“More than one million Massachusetts residents rely on behavioral health coverage, but residents in the state have long faced obstacles to coverage. This agreement can eliminate those obstacles once and for all by allowing consumers to identify and reach behavioral health providers more easily and increasing reimbursement rates for in-network behavioral health outpatient services to make them comparable to the rates paid to general medical providers.
“Without mental health there is no health, and consumers deserve the same high quality care for mental health and addictions as they receive for medical and surgical services to address their physical health because. Consumer access to treatment for mental illness and addictions depend on finding accurate information on available services and on fair rates for treatment to address addiction and mental illness.
“Everyone responsible for this settlement should be congratulated for their willingness to help people in Massachusetts who depend on behavioral health care services. We hope other states follow this progressive approach so we can ensure services provided for people with mental health and addictions are at parity with the level of medical and surgical services provided throughout the rest of the nation.”
Chuck Ingoglia
President and CEO
National Council for Mental Wellbeing
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Media contact: Sophia Majlessi, sophiam@thenationalcouncil.org, 202-621-1631
About the National Council for Mental Wellbeing
The National Council for Mental Wellbeing is the unifying voice of America’s health care organizations that deliver mental health and addictions treatment and services. Together with our 3,326 member organizations serving over 10 million adults, children and families living with mental illnesses and addictions, the National Council is committed to all Americans having access to comprehensive, high-quality care that affords every opportunity for recovery. The National Council introduced Mental Health First Aid USA and 2 million Americans have been trained.
About The National Council
Founded in 1969, the National Council for Mental Wellbeing is a membership organization that drives policy and social change on behalf of over 3,400 mental health and substance use treatment organizations and the more than 10 million children, adults and families they serve. We advocate for policies to ensure equitable access to high-quality services. We build the capacity of mental health and substance use treatment organizations. And we promote greater understanding of mental wellbeing as a core component of comprehensive health and health care. Through our Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) program, we have trained more than 3 million people in the U.S. to identify, understand and respond to signs and symptoms of mental health and substance use challenges.