Here are five notes:
1. The department’s investigation and willingness to add a consumer advocate to better ensure people with substance abuse disorder and mental illness receive the same access to treatment as those with medical illnesses helped curtail a bill that would have required the agency to conduct an investigation and report its findings.
2. A number of people testified during meetings of the legislative drug abuse task in December and at a public hearing earlier this year that insurers often deny claims for addiction treatment and recovery programs, although by state and federal law, substance abuse and mental illness coverage should be identical to insurance for medical issues.
3. Sen. Dan Feltes (D-Concord) sponsored Senate Bill 502, which would have mandated the insurance department investigate whether insurance companies were complying with the federal act.
4. The department’s examination looks specifically at how health insurance companies handle preauthorization, claim denials and utilization review practices for substance use disorder claims.
5. After completing its review of the substance abuse treatment parity, Sen. Feltes said the department will consider a similar examination of mental health services.
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