Regulatory Alerts2014-01-01 | Bulletin 2014-1Oregon Insurance Division Bulletin INS 2014-1: Mental Health Parity Guidance
The Oregon Insurance Division issued Bulletin INS 2014-1 to provide guidance to insurers on implementing state and federal mental health parity mandates, including the Oregon Mental Health Parity Statute, MHPAEA, and the Affordable Care Act. The bulletin requires insurers to determine coverage for mental health and chemical dependency conditions using the same standards as other medical conditions, prohibiting categorical exclusions and ensuring that financial and non-quantitative treatment limits are no more restrictive than those applied to substantially all medical benefits. It further clarifies that plans must cover medically necessary treatments for conditions listed in the DSM-IV-TR or DSM-5, while strictly limiting specific statutory exclusions to prevent them from rendering parity mandates meaningless.