Advocates for decades have charged that insurers are not adequately covering behavioral health services. The issue has become a priority for more lawmakers as the aftereffects of the pandemic become clear.The Senate Finance Committee announced five bipartisan mental health "focus areas" in February, including insurance coverage.
One sticking point is proposed financial penalties on insurers that violate parity requirements that are already written into law. A Senate GOP aide said Republicans have "jurisdictional concerns" because the Senate HELP Committee shares jurisdiction with Finance.Between the lines: "For example, a health insurance issuer covered nutritional counseling for medical conditions like diabetes, but not for mental health conditions such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder," the department said.If insurers have to cover more mental health care, premiums and costs could rise.
"I think everything's pushed to the omni[bus]," Sen. Richard Burr , who is leading the parity focus area for Republicans, told Axios of mental health efforts in general. "I'm involved in trying to get mental health legislation, but it's not going to happen in the CR."Despite the resistance, Wyden says he's continuing to spotlight parity, pointing to early efforts from the late former Sens. Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici .