Approaches in Implementing the Mental

Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act: Best 

Practices from the States
Approaches in Implementing the Mental 

Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act: 

Best Practices from the States

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Center for Substance Abuse Treatment

1 Choke Cherry Road

Rockville, MD 20857
i

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This report was prepared for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 

(SAMHSA) by Truven Health Analytics, an IBM Company, under SAMHSA IDIQ Prime Contract 

#HHSS283200700029I, Task Order##HHSS283200700029I/HHSS28342002T with SAMHSA, 

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Mariel Lifshitz served as the 

Government Project Officer.

DISCLAIMER

The views, opinions, and content of this publication are those of the authors and do not 

necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or policies of SAMHSA or HHS. 

PUBLIC DOMAIN NOTICE 

All material appearing in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied 

without permission from SAMHSA. Citation of the source is appreciated. However, this 

publication may not be reproduced or distributed for a fee without the specific, written 

authorization of the Office of Communications, SAMHSA, HHS.

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This publication may be downloaded at http://store.samhsa.gov. Or, call SAMHSA at 1-877-

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RECOMMENDED CITATION 

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Approaches in Implementing the 

Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act: Best Practices from the States. HHS Publication 

No. SMA-16-4983, Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; 

2016. 

ORIGINATING OFFICES 

Office of Policy, Planning, and Innovation, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 

Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, 18E85C, Rockville, MD 20852. 

HHS Publication: No. SMA-16-4983
ii

Table of Contents

Executive Summary.......................................................................................................................................1

Overview.......................................................................................................................................................2

Methods........................................................................................................................................................2

Findings.........................................................................................................................................................3

Best Practices for Addressing Parity Compliance: Summary of Key Components ...................................3

Communication with Carriers and Activities to Support Parity Compliance............................................4

Collaborations with Other Agencies and Stakeholder Groups.................................................................7

Conclusion...................................................................................................................................................10

Appendix A: List of Resources.....................................................................................................................12
Approaches in Implementing MHPAEA 1

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This report identifies best practices1 used by states in implementing and monitoring compliance 

with the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 

2008 (MHPAEA or “parity”). California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, 

Oregon, and Rhode Island were interviewed about their experiences with implementing the 

parity law. Phone interviews were conducted with representatives from the state offices tasked 

with oversight of insurance. Questions covered four areas: (1) parity implementation processes, 

(2) collaborations with other organizations, (3) tools for understanding and monitoring 

compliance, and (4) recommendations for other states. The discussions covered the 

experiences of personnel involved in the day-to-day oversight related to parity implementation 

and compliance; reporting by health insurance carriers, surveying, and auditing; data collection 

and interpretation of the law; and consumer rights protection.

Interviewees identified five primary components that they considered critical for the successful 

implementation and monitoring of parity: (1) open channels of communication, (2) 

standardization of materials, (3) creation of templates, workbooks and other tools, (4) 

implementation of market conduct exams and network adequacy assessments, and (5) 

collaboration with multiple state and federal agencies, health insurance carriers, and

stakeholder groups. To develop open channels of communication, the states supported an 

interactive relationship with the carriers through calls and in-person meetings to work as quickly 

as possible to achieve compliance with federal parity standards and requirements. The 

overarching strategies that states described included early and ongoing communication with 

carriers to foster understanding of the parity rule, determining that health insurance carriers 

were providing appropriate coverage to consumers, and resolving potential noncompliance 

issues and violations by helping carriers better understand the law. All states described 

templates, workbooks and other tools that promoted a standard format for providing benefit 

information and a clear methodology for assessing parity compliance. Other tools included 

compliance surveys, analysis of consumer and provider complaints, market conduct exams and 

assessments of network adequacy. Finally, state officials described collaboration with 

government agencies, advocacy groups, providers, and consumers as an essential aspect of 

enforcing parity compliance. Although form reviews and surveys can serve as an analytical 

source of information regarding policy and practice, collaboration with multiple agencies and 

stakeholder groups provides the insurance commissioners with firsthand knowledge about the 

processes and procedures that are being used to make coverage decisions.

Successful implementation of MHPAEA requires coordination across multiple agencies and 

stakeholders, as well as ensuring compliance through standardized language and other tools. 

All states noted that using these five strategies has substantially improved their ability to enforce 

parity compliance. Across the board, states identified communication, with carriers, consumers,

and other stakeholders, and across state government, as the most important strategy in 

implementing MHPAEA. Through coordination, open communication, and use of various tools 

and templates, implementation of MHPAEA can be successful in every state across the nation. 

 1 This report includes practices and resources developed or used by states and their partners. These practices and 

resources do not necessarily reflect federal policy or law.
Approaches in Implementing MHPAEA 2

OVERVIEW

The purpose of this report is to describe best practices identified by states in implementing and 

monitoring compliance with the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and 

Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA or “parity”). MHPAEA is a federal law requiring that if 

certain health plans provide coverage for mental health or substance use disorder services, they 

must provide it in a manner that is comparable to coverage provided for medical and surgical 

care (see Department of Labor’s Mental Health and Substance Use Parity webpage or Center 

for Medicare & Medicaid/Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight’s webpage 

on the MHPAEA for the final rule). States may also have their own laws regarding parity, or 

requiring a minimum level of coverage for mental health and substance use disorders. Seven 

states were selected for interviews about their experiences, processes, and challenges with 

implementing and ensuring compliance with MHPAEA. These states shared strategies they 

have developed and are using to ensure parity compliance. This report describes these 

implementation strategies, outlines mechanisms for monitoring compliance, and provides links 

to helpful resources for state insurance commissioners and other interested parties. Some of 

these practices may be useful tools for other states to consider and adopt to ensure compliance. 

METHODS

States were identified based on recommendations by Federal government officials, behavioral 

health care organizations and advocates, and legal representatives working on MHPAEA. 

Information was also collected through an environmental scan to identify states using or 

engaged in the following parity-related activities: current state parity laws, parity-related tools 

and compliance report templates, market conduct exams, and formal collaborative activities 

(e.g., stakeholder coalitions). Using this information, California, Connecticut, Maryland, 

Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, and Rhode Island were selected for in-depth interviews 

addressing their practices for implementing MHPAEA and ensuring parity compliance. 

Phone interviews were conducted with representatives from the state offices tasked with 

oversight of insurance. Generally, this was the Office of the Insurance Commissioner within the 

Department of Insurance, the Department of Business Regulation, the Division of Insurance, or 

a similar entity (hereafter referred to as the insurance commissioner’s office). The interviewees 

included commissioners, attorneys, staff members of the Department of Financial Services, 

health policy and reform representatives, senior policy analysts, and representatives from state 

consumer affairs offices. The representatives differed from state to state. An open-ended 

interview guide was developed with questions in four areas: (1) parity implementation 

processes, (2) collaborations with other organizations, (3) tools for understanding and 

monitoring compliance, and (4) recommendations for other states. Discussions covered the 

experiences of personnel involved in the day-to-day oversight related to parity implementation 

and compliance; reporting by health insurance carriers (hereafter referred to as “carriers”), 

surveying, and auditing; data collection and interpretation of the law; and consumer rights

protection. Information was synthesized across all seven states, highlighting examples that 

other states could use in the process of developing systems to implement and assure 

compliance with parity.
Approaches in Implementing MHPAEA 3

FINDINGS

States identified five primary components that they considered critical for the successful 

implementation and monitoring of parity: (1) open channels of communication, (2) 

standardization of materials, (3) creation of templates, workbooks and other tools, (4) 

implementation of market conduct exams and network adequacy assessments, and (5) 

collaboration with multiple agencies and stakeholder groups. This report will summarize these 

five components then address each component in more detail. In Appendix A, readers can also 

find a series of links to resources for states and insurance commissioners interested in 

reviewing processes and procedures used by other states (see Appendix A).

Best Practices for Addressing Parity Compliance: Summary of Key Components

All seven states emphasized the importance of having coordination and communication

within their department and with carriers. Interacting closely with federal agencies early on to 

facilitate an understanding of the law also ensured that any existing state parity regulations

complemented current federal rules. An important component of this communication between 

the state insurance commissioner’s office and carriers was to develop standardized materials 

and a shared understanding of the terminology among all who were involved with parity.

Several states described an iterative process with carriers to ensure consistency in the use of all 

terms and language, as well as benefits and coverage limitations.

Standardized language and terms also can be supported through states’ use of templates,

workbooks, and other tools designed to ensure parity compliance both in the form filing 

process and for carriers to use in operations. These tools, which serve multiple purposes and 

may be required by state law, include materials to educate carriers and consumers and 

materials to facilitate data submission from carriers during the form filing process. The form 

filing process refers to the process whereby carriers file their policy forms with the states, and 

regulators must review and give prior approval before the policy provisions can be implemented.

These tools also help the states ensure a uniform process across the board—a feature that is 

very important for facilitating parity compliance among all carriers. 

Several states saw the number of parity issues decrease over time, including reported 

noncompliance rates, which reflected how these approaches led to better carrier compliance 

and a reduction in consumer complaints. All of the interviewed states cited many efforts that 

contributed to their work to ensure parity compliance. Most states stressed the importance of 

conducting market conduct exams. These exams were universally viewed as the most 

important way of broadly increasing compliance, especially when they included on-the-ground 

examination of processes and procedures through direct follow-up with carriers that usually 

were not immediately evident from the information initially collected. However, states also noted

that actual improvements in access require explicit attention to adequacy of provider availability.

States emphasized that evaluating network adequacy and addressing workforce issues are

critical components of improving behavioral health care delivery within the context of parity 

implementation. 

Finally, successful implementation of all of these strategies requires collaboration with 

multiple other agencies and stakeholder groups, including state health and behavioral 

health departments, consumers, consumer advocacy groups, providers, and other state 

agencies. Implementation of and compliance with MHPAEA requires an approach in which all of 

these key elements are coordinated simultaneously. In short, parity compliance is most 
Approaches in Implementing MHPAEA 4

successful when all elements of enforcement—communication with carriers, standardized 

forms, checklists and templates, network adequacy assessments and market conduct exams, 

and collaboration with other agencies—are implemented together. 

Communication with Carriers and Activities to Support Parity Compliance

Each state that was interviewed described the general approach by which its Department of 

Insurance supported MHPAEA and state parity laws through coordination and communication 

with carriers. This communication typically was initiated during the form filing submission 

process. During the initial filing submission process, whereby a carrier attempts to enter the 

market, regulators look for policy provisions that do not comply with regulatory requirements, 

provide inadequate coverage, or may be misunderstood by consumers. In such instances, 

regulators will require policy forms to be revised before a carrier can introduce them into the 

market or continue selling them if they have already been introduced. The states supported an 

interactive relationship through calls and in-person meetings with the carriers to work as quickly 

as possible to achieve compliance with federal parity standards and requirements. The 

overarching strategy that was described by states included early and ongoing communication 

with carriers to foster understanding of the parity rule, determining that carriers were providing 

appropriate coverage to consumers, and resolving potential noncompliance issues and 

violations by helping carriers better understand the law. Some states had structured meetings 

with carriers. For example, Oregon described conducting monthly carrier meetings to review 

compliance report findings and to permit open discussion among the carriers, which reinforced 

the fact that ongoing communication was essential between the carriers and the insurance 

commissioners. All of Oregon’s carriers were invited to these meetings and virtually all of them 

participated, emphasizing the value of open discussion of issues amongst all parties.

All states described templates, workbooks and other tools that promoted a standard format for 

providing benefit information, and a clear methodology for assessing parity compliance. These 

materials were often available to the carriers by accessing the agency’s website (see Appendix 

A for a list of sample tools and links to these materials). Six of the most common examples are 

described below:

• Checklists, templates, and workbooks to support rate reviews and contract certification 

processes. All states described conducting reviews of plans benefits, coverage, and 

policy documents, often every year. In some states, these reviews are required prior to 

the carrier being able to market a product. States reported using specific tools to help 

them conduct these reviews in a consistent and careful manner and to ensure that

carriers submit information in a manner that will allow them to assess parity compliance. 

For example, Oregon, Rhode Island, and New York use checklists to help guide their 

benefits package reviews. States reported conducting close reading of the policy test 

including line-by-line reviews of all services that are subject to any limits, prior approval, 

or are excluded from coverage. States also require that carriers demonstrate how they 

meet the predominant and substantially all test on all services that have cost-sharing to 

show that they are in compliance with parity rules related to financial requirements and 

quantitative treatment limits. Connecticut reported that these results are reviewed by the 

state actuaries. States reported that by using workbooks, they can conduct a deeper 

analysis of nuanced policy language. States also produced filing instructions and 
Approaches in Implementing MHPAEA 5 

question-and-answer support documents to guide carriers in understanding behavioral 

health parity requirements. New York worked with stakeholders to develop model 

contract language for the carriers to use in preparing their benefit packages. Using 

these tools, states carefully review the carriers’ submitted documents for parity 

compliance.

• Analysis of complaints from consumers and providers. States reported using complaints 

to identify potential parity compliance issues. States analyze these complaints, 

Case Examples:

In Rhode Island, an extensive internal review process includes detailed form review 

instructions with a line-by-line review to target parity issues (e.g., exclusions). This 

process has resulted in the removal of most behavioral health exclusions from the 

state’s coverage certificates. Of particular significance for Rhode Island, which is 

facing an on-going opioid addiction crisis, was the removal of carriers’ discriminatory 

exclusions for methadone maintenance treatment. The state solicits and considers the 

parity related comments of in-state and out-of-state advocacy groups and other 

interested parties, thereby strengthening the form review process. Benefits tools and 

templates provide a review of coverage documents in real time, and an overall 

assessment of parity compliance. These activities are conducted in conjunction with a 

rigorous consumer complaint process and a state-wide all-carrier market conduct 

examination. This on-going examination involves an extensive review of documents 

and policies, statistical sampling of behavioral health utilization review cases in high 

utilization and/or high denial of care categories, and a clinical review of carriers’ 

medical necessity standard and utilization review decisions. 

California puts extensive effort into developing materials and forms to guide carriers in 

parity compliance. The state’s Department of Insurance provides oversight and review 

of carriers’ products to prevent inappropriate policies and practices from entering the 

consumer market. The state also provides supportive documents to assist carriers with 

their policy forms and filing submissions, such as a Mental Health Parity Supporting 

Documentation Template, which provides substantial detail about nonquantitative 

treatment limitations, and a Mental Health Parity Analysis Workbook, which contains

the carriers’ quantitative analyses of cost sharing.

examining trends and identifying issues that necessitated further investigation. States 

also analyze denials and appeals to identify potential parity issues.

• Guides and bulletins. These materials help carriers understand how federal and state 

parity laws apply to the specific coverage requirements in individual states. Most states 

said that developing these materials took substantial effort, but that the results were 

instrumental in achieving a common understanding of the language describing the law. 

Making these documents available to carriers often resulted in improved compliance in 

subsequent years of filings. Many states cited the importance of using periodic bulletins 
Approaches in Implementing MHPAEA 6

to describe the law clearly using common terms and to provide examples for application 

to state-specific issues. For example, Oregon and New York published bulletins citing 

state law offering guidance in two specific areas—coverage for autism spectrum disorder 

and gender dysphoria.

• Compliance surveys. Compliance surveys are conducted in some states (see Appendix 

A for link to an example from CT). These surveys (often administered annually) require 

some or all carriers in a state to review and document that their practices and 

procedures are compliant with state and federal parity requirements. This process 

serves as a communication mechanism with carriers that captures information such as 

differences in services offered for behavioral health care versus medical or surgical care. 

These compliance surveys often are the first step in identifying specific issues that are 

then followed by a more targeted investigation, such as a desk audit to review support 

documents for completeness and to ensure standards are met.

• Market conduct examinations. States often perform market conduct examinations 

(MCEs) to investigate consumer complaints or issues raised during the compliance 

survey. Six of the states described the process for performing MCEs, which analyze the

operations of carriers who are licensed to do business in their states and evaluate these

carriers’ compliance with the applicable laws and regulations. During MCEs, examiners 

review a carrier’s policy files, claims files and other internal records to ensure that the 

carrier is acting in compliance with state laws and regulations. These exams also are 

used more broadly to assess carrier compliance with parity. A MCE may be either a 

comprehensive or a targeted examination, depending on what is needed. A 

comprehensive examination generally involves a full-scope review of all of the carrier’s 

practices, whereas a targeted exam is conducted when there is evidence of possible 

noncompliance with parity or consumer complaints. This examination is based on the 

results of market analysis indicating the need to review additional information (e.g., 

specific lines of business, specific business practices). Most states use their own 

insurance department staff to conduct these exams, as well as to perform follow-up visits 

and analyze findings, although targeted examinations may be conducted by a 

subcontractor or by an on-site examiner (for example, see documentation of findings 

from Market Conduct Examination Reports in Massachusetts).

• Network adequacy assessments. States also face the challenge of provider network 

adequacy for behavioral health services. Network adequacy may be a parity issue if 

carriers are using more restrictive processes, strategies, standards, or other factors for 

including behavioral health providers in their networks compared with physical health 

providers. In other cases, network adequacy problems may stem instead from a 

shortage of providers in the geographic area covered by the plan. Conducting network 

adequacy assessments is a critical component of ensuring access to behavioral health 

services in all geographic areas of a state. Network adequacy has multiple dimensions. 

Carriers need to keep their materials current with respect to the providers that are 

included in their networks. Providers themselves often do not know what network tier of 

coverage they are in; as a result, patients sometimes are seen by providers who are not 

included in the patient’s health plan. Several states discussed efforts to require that 

carriers keep provider directories up to date and clearly describe in their provider listings 

how they identify a provider’s tier or level of care. Smaller states or states that have 
Approaches in Implementing MHPAEA 7

larger rural populations that were interviewed described issues related to their availability

of providers. Even when behavioral health care is covered, it may be difficult to find a 

provider with the capacity to accept new patients or to find specialized behavioral health 

providers (e.g., speech pathologist, child psychiatrist) in certain geographic areas. 

Maryland, for example, is going through the regulatory process of adopting concrete 

criteria for requiring network adequacy using quantitative standards (e.g., distance, 

travel time to provider, how many days it takes to schedule an appointment). As a part 

of this process, Maryland’s commissioner described being involved in several public 

hearings regarding network adequacy. 

All seven states stressed how important the templates, workbooks, and other tools discussed 

are for ensuring compliance with parity and for addressing specific challenges with compliance. 

States recognized the role that these tools play in monitoring compliance with respect to 

nonquantitative treatment limitations (NQTLs). NQTLs are non-numerical limitations that

otherwise limit the scope and duration of benefits for treatment. Examples include geographic 

restrictions, restrictions on the type of care that can be provided in different kinds of facilities,

utilization management (including reviews of medical necessity), prior authorization, and 

restrictive prescription medication formularies. Monitoring compliance with NQTLs is more 

challenging because these processes are not always transparent. Monitoring NQTL compliance 

also requires more in-depth investigation compared with the compliance activities used to track 

adherence to quantitative treatment limitations. For example, Rhode Island engaged forensic 

psychiatrists from a neighboring state in order to review statistical samples of carrier clinical 

decisions to determine whether the carriers’ medical necessity processes were parity compliant

and consistent with acceptable clinical standards. 

Collaborations with Other Agencies and Stakeholder Groups 

All of the states interviewed also have developed strong relationships with federal and state 

agencies, advocacy groups, providers, and consumers. These relationships help identify areas 

where further guidance or clarity may be needed, ensure mutual understanding of the parity law,

and promote compliance. Five examples of agencies and stakeholder groups involved in such

collaborations are described below:

• Federal agencies and national resources: States described the importance of first 

reaching out to federal agencies to clarify parity law requirements soon after these 

requirements are released. Agencies mentioned the Department of Health and Human 

Services as the main Federal agency providing tools and guidance. Additionally, the 

National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), the governing body for 

insurance commissioners nationwide, provides useful resources related to parity 

compliance (e.g., NAIC Model Laws, Regulations and Guidelines). Reaching out to 

federal agencies ensures a clearer understanding of the law and minimizes delays in

providing accurate guidance to carriers about implementation of and adherence to the 

law. The interviewed states mentioned the necessity of carefully reading the legislation,

regulations, and other guidance before reaching out to federal agencies with questions 

regarding requirements under the law. This enables the insurance commissioners to 

gain clarity regarding the law and its requirements and to cultivate meaningful 

discussions about potential questions. Also, by working first with federal agencies, the 

state ensures the accuracy of subsequent information provided to carriers, consumers, 

providers, and other advocates through materials such as bulletins and toolkits.
Approaches in Implementing MHPAEA 8

• State agencies: Collaborating with state agencies enables state insurance 

commissioners to design requirements for essential health benefits that are consistent 

with parity requirements. Examples of state agencies include state behavioral health 

organizations and public health departments. For example, the California Insurance 

Commissioner’s Office collaborated with Covered California, the state’s health care 

exchange program, to design mental health and substance use disorder benefits that 

were consistent with federal and state parity requirements. Oregon’s Insurance 

Commissioner’s Office worked with the Oregon Health Authority, a state organization 

responsible for reducing health care costs and increasing access to health care, to 

ensure that the state employee benefits for behavioral health were aligned with the 

federal parity rule. Connecticut works with a number of behavioral health agencies 

within the state on behavioral health issues, including a children’s behavioral health work 

group, an alcohol and drug abuse council, and a behavioral health working group.

• Advocacy groups: State insurance commissioners also partner with various advocacy 

groups to develop educational products on parity for consumers and providers. Because 

mental health and substance use parity is a fairly new and evolving topic, many 

consumers and providers are unaware of parity rights. It is especially important to inform 

consumers about their parity rights so that they know where they can submit any

complaints regarding insurance policies and practices. States have issued parity guides 

on their websites that include informational overviews on MHPAEA, frequently asked 

questions regarding coverage, guides on how to appeal claim denials made by carriers, 

and newly updated bulletins on how to apply the law as guidelines change.

Case Example: In Maryland, the Insurance Commissioner’s Office sponsors initiatives in 

collaboration with advocacy groups to heighten the public’s awareness of their agency.

Materials are available to provide consumers with assistance on issues they face related 

to parity, their benefits and healthcare rights, and access to healthcare, particularly mental 

health and substance use disorder services. To help promote this messaging, the 

Commissioner’s Office is collaborating with the University of Maryland School of Law to 

develop a handout of resources related to mental health and substance use disorders 

that are available to consumers and providers. In addition, the University developed a 

Mental Health Parity Resource Guide for consumers. They are working with advocacy 

groups to get the message out about parity to those individuals with mental health and 

substance use disorders who need to access care, as well as to the providers who work 

with them. 
Approaches in Implementing MHPAEA 9

• Consumers: Consumer education, which is essential in ensuring that consumers 

receive the benefits of the law, can be facilitated through online and printed products, as 

well as live presentations. For example, Connecticut publishes the Consumer Toolkit for 

Navigating Behavioral Health, which helps consumers understand their health insurance 

plans and behavioral health services. The Connecticut Insurance Commissioner also 

releases an annual consumer report card that provides information to consumers 

allowing them to make informed decisions when choosing their health carriers. The 

report card contains information from customer surveys and individuals’ overall 

satisfaction with their insurance plans. It also provides information on provider networks, 

denials of services, and appeal outcomes at the county level. This consumer report card 

contains a large section addressing behavioral health coverage, which allows 

consumers to make comparisons when selecting their health insurance plans. New York 

publishes the NY Consumer Guide to Health Insurance Companies which ranks carriers 

based on complaints and information about appeals. This guide also includes a section 

on behavioral health. In addition to developing consumer products to increase 

awareness about parity rights, some states also collaborate with other stakeholders to 

provide outreach to the community and educate consumers on their parity rights through 

informational sessions and presentations. These educational sessions for consumers 

can raise their awareness about parity rights, which can enable them to submit appeals 

if their behavioral health coverage is denied.

• Multiple stakeholder workgroups: States suggested that an important component of 

education and enforcement of parity involves developing and maintaining structured 

workgroups that include multiple stakeholders tasked with developing parity-related 

materials. Including providers and consumer groups in these activities facilitates 

communication and supports enforcement of parity regulations. These workgroups, 

which are used to develop materials and discuss issues about parity, provide insurance 

commissioners with a forum for effective and open communication on issues with and 

potential violations of the parity law that may arise in their states. 

Collaboration with government agencies, advocacy groups, providers, and consumers is an 

essential aspect of enforcing parity compliance. Although form reviews and surveys can serve 

Case Example: The Massachusetts Division of Insurance developed a working 

group with carriers and providers to create standard forms for behavioral health 

coverage. In order to develop these forms, the Insurance Commissioner conducted

informational sessions with carriers and providers to ensure that these forms were 

created using standardized language. The forms were later released for public 

evaluation so that all participating providers and consumers could provide their 

feedback and edits. By creating this workgroup and scheduling several 

conversations with key providers and consumers, the Massachusetts Division of 

Insurance was able to obtain steady feedback and create a product that was 

consistent with a shared understanding of parity.
Approaches in Implementing MHPAEA 10

as an analytical source of information regarding policy and practice, collaboration with multiple 

agencies and stakeholder groups provides insurance commissioners with firsthand knowledge 

about the processes and procedures that are being used to make coverage decisions. 

Collaboration also provides an understanding of access-related issues that may arise with 

consumers and providers. By fostering relationships with other organizations, commissioners 

are able to learn about changes that need to be made regarding insurance policies and to 

educate consumers and providers about parity rights. For example, coordinated 

communications between the Maryland Commissioner’s Office, advocates, and consumers led 

to a large carrier addressing the lack of access to methadone clinic services. These 

communications resulted in the carrier treating all methadone maintenance treatment as an innetwork service. Through this multiple stakeholder interaction, decisions were made that 

expanded access to behavioral health services without requiring regulatory action.

CONCLUSION

Though the federal parity law and the related regulations and guidance have many components, 

parity compliance can be successfully implemented through: (1) open channels of 

communication, (2) standardization of materials, (3) creation of templates, workbooks and other 

tools, (4) implementation of market conduct exams and network adequacy assessments; and 

(5) collaboration with multiple agencies and stakeholder groups. Findings from our interviews 

with states that varied in size, region, demographics, and available resources clearly 

demonstrate that these five key strategies enable successful implementation regardless of state 

specific challenges to parity compliance.

In general, the multiple components of a successful implementation approach, based on the 

interviews and findings reported here, can be distilled into the following four steps:

• Close annual reviews of all benefits (including financial requirements, quantitative 

treatment limitations and NQTLs) and policy documents using standard tools and 

structured processes;

• Clear communication of expectations to carriers through open discussions, meetings, 

policy guides and bulletins;

• Analysis of data from consumers and providers through complaints, denial rates, 

appeals rates, and open forums; and 

• Routine and targeted MCEs and desk audits.

All states noted that using the key strategies discussed in this report has substantially improved

their ability to enforce parity compliance. Some states noted that behavioral health coverage 

limitations and exclusions decreased following the implementation of MHPAEA, particularly in 

the areas of autism and substance use disorder. The insurance commissioners have seen 

greater compliance from carriers in reporting form filings, contracts, and appeals. Prior to 

implementing compliance activities, the states mentioned that various carriers resisted providing

full disclosure when responding to treatment inquiries and other coverage materials. The 

templates, checklists, and other tools created by staff in the Commissioners’ Offices have 

improved the enforcement of the submission requirements among all carriers and have created 

a standardized procedure to which all carriers must adhere. By clearly defining the 

requirements and expectations of review processes, carriers in some states are now better able 

to adhere to compliance procedures administered by the insurance commissioner.
Approaches in Implementing MHPAEA 11

During these interviews, each state was asked about its most effective strategy for 

implementing parity. Interviewees in virtually every state responded that the key to tackling the 

implementation of parity is communication–within the agency’s department, with carriers, and 

with other state agencies, state organizations, and multiple stakeholders. Communication is

necessary for understanding the federal regulations, local needs, and compliance issues. This 

communication also is necessary to inform all interested parties that the insurance 

commissioner’s office is committed to monitoring and enforcement, providing assistance with 

templates, workbooks and other tools, and supporting consumer awareness of their rights.

Continuous and ongoing effort by all entities depends on a framework of relationships, 

collaborations, and processes to support parity implementation and ensure compliance 

according to the law.
Approaches in Implementing MHPAEA 12

APPENDIX A: LIST OF RESOURCES

Below is a list of parity and compliance resources from the seven states interviewed. Hyperlinks 

are included for ease of access to any of these documents.

California

• Mental Health Parity Supporting Documentation Template: This document contains 

tables and serves as a template to assist carriers with submitting supporting 

documentation.

• Mental Health Parity Analysis Workbook: This workbook assists carriers in evaluating 

and demonstrating parity compliance.

Connecticut

• FAQ on Mental Health Parity Rights: This document provides basic information on 

mental health parity rights for consumers.

• Consumer's Guide to Appealing Health Insurance Denials: This guide provides 

consumers with information about how they can appeal denials.

• Consumer Report Card on Health Insurance Carriers: This document provides 

consumers with information on health insurance plans. It contains a section on 

behavioral health service utilization.

• Consumer Toolkit for Navigating Behavioral Health: This toolkit helps consumers 

understand their health insurance plans and behavioral health services. 

• Mental Health Parity Annual Compliance Survey: This compliance survey is issued to 

the carriers.

Maryland 

• Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act Resource Guide: This guide, issued by the 

University Of Maryland Carey School Of Law, offers providers and consumers guidance 

on the application of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act.

Massachusetts

• Mental Health Parity and Addiction Supplemental Response Letter: This guide provides 

consumers with information on health plans related to mental health parity.

• Enforcement of Mental Health Parity Regulation: This regulation was issued to provide 

carriers with guidance related to the mental health parity law. 

New York 

• Insurance Circular Letter No. 5 (2014): This circular letter was issued by the Department 

of Financial Services to provide carriers with information about the impact of the Mental 

Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act. 

• Insurance Circular Letter No. 7 (2014): This circular letter was issued by the Department 

of Financial Services to provide carriers with information about requirements for health 

insurance coverage of gender dysphoria. 

• Insurance Circular Letter No. 4 (2016): This circular letter, also issued by the 

Department of Financial Services provides carriers with information about NQTLs that 

require additional analysis to determine mental health parity compliance. 
Approaches in Implementing MHPAEA 13

• Model Contract Language for Mental Health Care and Substance Use Services: This 

document contains model language for insurance plans that addresses behavioral health 

services. 

• Comprehensive Health Insurance Checklist: This form filing checklist for carriers 

includes a special section on mental health and substance use disorders. 

• NY State Consumer Guide to Health Insurers: This guide provides consumers with 

information about health plan complaints, internal and external appeals, behavioral 

health quality of care, and quality of providers. 

Oregon

• Mental Health Parity Bulletin: This bulletin is designed to provide guidance for carriers 

about implementing the mental health parity law. 

• Autism Spectrum Disorder, Applied Behavior Analysis Therapy Bulletin: This bulletin 

provides details about the expectations concerning coverage for autism spectrum 

disorders, developmental disorders, and applied behavioral analysis. 

Rhode Island 

• Checklist for Individual and Small Group Health Insurance Plans: This is a checklist for 

filing that contains sections on mental health and substance use disorder requirements. 
SMA-16-4983

First printed 2016