November 6th, 2009

Reports the New York Times:

If you have a job, and insurance that includes mental health benefits, you can find affordable care — but you need to shop wisely.

You also need to be aware that your benefits might be changing in the coming year. Because of a new federal law that takes effect for most insurance plans on Jan. 1, the Mental Health Parity Act, there is a very good chance that your mental health coverage has indeed changed — possibly for the better.

In this column I will explore how to make the most of your mental health benefits. In a future column, I’ll discuss how to find free or low-cost mental health care if you don’t have insurance.

…

That’s because of that Mental Health Parity Act mentioned above, which Congress passed last year.

As of Jan. 1, the law requires that group plans covering more than 50 people provide the same level of care for mental health and substance abuse problems as for medical ones. Right now, most employer plans provide less coverage for mental health — say, by limiting the amount of visits you can make to a provider or setting higher annual deductibles than for medical care.

The law’s changes can be good and not so good. Good, because you might have access to more care. Not so good if there are new requirements, like getting precertification for coverage, that place additional barriers to getting treatment, says Kaye Pestaina, vice president of health care compliance for the Segal Company, a benefits consulting firm.

“Employees should make sure their employer provides information to them about any new medical management rules,” Ms. Pestaina said.

Find out more at the NYT.