Six new mental health bills signed by Governor Quinn last month establishes mental health parity among health insurance policies, ensuring that all insurance companies provide the same coverage for mental health and substance abuse disorders that they provide for all other conditions. HB 1530 (PA 97-0437) now requires the following:
- The addition of substance use disorders to the list of mental illnesses covered by the law,
- Facilities to define “medical necessity” in accordance with criteria established by the American Society of Addiction Medicine,
- Insurers to cover treatment for substance abuse disorders in a residential facility,
- Prohibits non-quantitative treatment limitations that are not used on a comparable basis for medical surgical benefits,
- The elimination of “lifetime limits” on mental health coverage,
- The elimination of “annual limits” on mental health coverage, and
- The eliminitation of a differentiated deductible for mental health services.