ERISA Industry Committee v. Department of Health and Human Services et al.

Potential Impact:

Why this Matters: 

The plaintiff alleges that a federal regulation implementing mental health parity requirements for insurers and employers violates the Administrative Procedure Act, the Fifth Amendment’s guarantee of Due Process, and the nondelegation doctrine. Millions of Americans with mental health conditions struggle to obtain necessary treatment, and mental health parity requirements can help improve access to behavioral health care. The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act requires health plans that cover treatment for mental health and substance use disorder conditions to do so on par with their coverage of other health conditions.

Potential Impact: 

Inadequate enforcement of mental health parity laws could worsen disparities in coverage between mental health benefits and medical/surgical benefits.