H.R. 4276 · 114th Congress
Behavioral Health Coverage Transparency Act of 2015
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Never voted on. It didn't reach a floor vote before the 114th Congress ended, so it expired. A bill has to be introduced again to be considered in a new Congress.
D
KennedySponsor11 cosponsors · 11 D
D
Castor
YC
D
Clarke
DM
D
Matsui
PT
D
Tonko
DB
D
Beyer
AE
D
Eshoo
BL
D
Luján
EE
D
Engel
RB
D
Brady
LC
D
Capps
JS
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Schakowsky4 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.
This bill amends the Public Health Service Act, Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), and Internal Revenue Code to direct the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor, and the Treasury to require group health plans and health insurers to disclose the analyses performed to ensure compliance of plans or coverage with the law…
What it does: CRS summary · Introduced in House · Dec 16, 2015
Behavioral Health Coverage Transparency Act of 2015
This bill amends the Public Health Service Act, Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), and Internal Revenue Code to direct the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor, and the Treasury to require group health plans and health insurers to disclose the analyses performed to ensure compliance of plans or coverage with the law and regulations. Disclosures must include findings and conclusions regarding whether nonquantitative treatment limitations (e.g., tiered benefits, step therapy, or preauthorization) applied to mental health or substance use disorder benefits are comparable to, and applied no more stringently than, such limitations on medical and surgical benefits.
HHS, Labor, and Treasury must: (1) issue guidance on the process for current and potential participants and beneficiaries to file formal complaints of plans or insurers being in violation of the requirement for parity between mental health and substance use disorder benefits and medical and surgical benefits, (2) conduct audits of plans and insurers to determine compliance with parity requirements and publish information from those audits, and (3) publish information on denials of claims by plans and insurers for mental health and substance use disorder services compared to denials of claims for medical and surgical services.
HHS must establish a consumer parity portal website that allows for submission of complaints and provides information to consumers on parity.
The Government Accountability Office must report on HHS, Labor, and Treasury efforts to enforce parity.Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov
About this bill and sources
Official title: Behavioral Health Coverage Transparency Act of 2015
Latest action (Mar 23, 2016): Referred to the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions.
Policy area: Health · Origin: House · Introduced: Dec 16, 2015
Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)
No recorded floor vote found.