Attorney General announces agreements to enforce parity legislation
On February 27, 2020, Attorney General Maura Healey announced agreements with five insurers and two health benefits administrators to improve parity compliance and enforcement in the Commonwealth. This is an important step in improving access to behavioral health services and will effect up to 1 million people in the state. You can watch a short…
NAMI to Appeal Decision in Short-Term, Limited-Duration Plan Lawsuit
Last fall, NAMI joined a lawsuit challenging an Administration regulation that allowed for the expanded sale of short-term, limited duration (STLD) insurance plans. Earlier today, U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon upheld the Administration’s regulation in ACAP v. Treasury. NAMI believes this regulation hurts our decades-long fight for mental health parity by allowing for an…
EOHSS is listening! Creating a Behavioral Health Ambulatory Treatment System
The Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) is initiating an intensive effort to redesign the front door of behavioral health. Together, we will imagine a system that presents a no-wrong-door point of entry. A system with same-day access, that defines community-based emergency and urgent care responses and untangles the maze that has been…
NAMI Mass testifies at the Joint Committee on Financial Services hearing
On Tuesday, May 7th, Lori Krinksky (President of NAMI Central Middlesex) and Monica Luke (Chair of the NAMI Mass Advocacy Committee) testified at the State House in support of H913 – An Act to increase consumer transparency about insurance provider networks S610 – An Act to increase consumer transparency about insurance provider networks S592 –…
Mental Health Treatment Denied to Customers by Giant Insurer’s Policies, Judge Rules
In a scathing decision released Tuesday, a federal judge in Northern California ruled that a unit of UnitedHealth Group, the giant health insurer, had created internal policies aimed at effectively discriminating against patients with mental health and substance abuse disorders to save money. U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge Joseph C. Spero found that United Behavioral Health,…
State expands treatment for people with both addiction and mental illness
Massachusetts health officials are significantly expanding addiction treatment, adding nearly 400 long-term recovery beds devoted to people who suffer from both addiction and mental illness. The recent move aims to address a major failing of the current system: Addiction programs typically lack the expertise to also treat the depression, anxiety, and trauma that often underlie…
