Sen. Hwang Applauds Senate Passage of Mental Health Parity Bill

Hartford, CT - Sen. Tony Hwang (R-Fairfield) applauded the State Senate’s May 4 unanimous passage of legislation which aims to help patients and families of those suffering from mental health issues to better access services and providers.

The bill requires certain health insurance policies to cover screenings for mental or nervous conditions at an annual physical.

“This is about parity and access,” said Sen. Hwang, who co-introduced the bill with Sen. Ted Kennedy, Jr. (D-Branford). “True mental health parity has remained elusive, in part because of the miniscule size of the mental health provider networks that so many insurance companies offer Connecticut customers. The plans don’t have enough providers to meet policyholder needs. The impact of that is enormously destructive, so this should be the year we implement real mental health parity in Connecticut.”

One of the driving forces behind the legislation is a recent report by the independent consulting firm Milliman. Using three years of insurance claims data for 42 million Americans in all 50 states, Milliman found that Connecticut residents are much more likely to depend on expensive, out-of-network mental health treatment rather than having access to a robust network of less-expensive, in-network providers:

● Office Visits: WORST IN THE NATION. For Connecticut policyholders seeking mental health services in an outpatient facility, 34 percent of the appointments were with out-of-network providers, compared to just 3 percent for medical/surgical visits, the worst discrepancy of any state in the nation.

● Inpatient Facility: 2ND-WORST IN THE NATION. For Connecticut policyholders seeking inpatient mental health and addiction services, 27 percent of the claims were with out-of-network providers, compared with less than 2 percent of all medical/surgical claims.

● Outpatient Facility: 7TH-WORST IN THE NATION. 34 percent of outpatient facility mental health visits were with out-of-network providers, compared with just 3 percent of primary care medical/surgical visits.

● Differential doctor payments: Connecticut health insurance companies pay psychiatrists and other mental health providers 40 percent less than what they pay primary care doctors, even for the exact same types of visits using the same billing codes.

Sen. Hwang added, “We must continue to strengthen our mental health policies in Connecticut, and this bill is a great example of how to go about that. This legislation requires health insurance carriers to report more data to the state so regulators can determine if there is any discrimination happening.  Our goal is to improve mental health care accessibility and to help people get the services they need.”

The bill now awaits a vote in the House of Representatives.

*Sen. Hwang represents Easton, Fairfield, Newtown, Weston and Westport. On the web:www.SenatorHwang.com.  He can be reached at Tony.Hwang@cga.ct.gov and at 800-842-1421.

Attached photo:  Sen. Tony Hwang (center) joined with mental health policy advocates like Sen. Ted Kennedy, Jr. (far left) at the State Capitol in April to support the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.  Hwang and Kennedy are among a bipartisan group of lawmakers to co-sponsor legislation which aims to expand mental health parity requirements.

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Submitted by Fairfield, CT

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