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Release Date: March 20, 2006
Release Number: 06-443-NAT
Contact Name: David James/Gloria Della
Phone Number: 202.693.4676/202.693.8664
Washington, DC - The U.S. Department of Labor’s
Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) today announced a
technical amendment extending the interim final rules under the Mental
Health Parity Act (MHPA) to December 31, 2006.
President Bush signed the extension December 30,
2005, as part of the Employee Retirement Preservation Act (P.L. 109-151,
119 Stat. 2886).
The original MHPA contained a sunset provision
requiring that provisions of the act would not apply to benefits for
services furnished on or after September 30, 2001. MHPA has been amended
four times before to extend the sunset date.
MPHA requires that annual or lifetime dollar limits
for mental heath benefits be no lower than the dollar limits for
medical/surgical benefits offered by a group health plan. The act
applies to group health plans or health insurance coverage offered by
issuers in connection with a group health plan that offers both mental
health and medical/surgical benefits. However, it does not require plans
to offer mental health benefits.
The technical amendment extending the sunset date is
published in today’s Federal Register. For more information about
mental health benefits, contact EBSA at 1.866.444.EBSA (3272) or visit
the Web site at www.dol.gov/ebsa to obtain a free copy of “Questions
and Answers: Recent Changes in Health Care Law.”
U.S. Department of Labor news releases are accessible on the
Department's Newsroom
page. The information in this news release will be made available
in alternate format upon request (large print, Braille, audio tape or
disc) from the COAST office. Please specify which news release when
placing your request at 202.693.7765 or TTY 202.693.7755. The U.S.
Department of Labor is committed to providing America's employers and
employees with easy access to understandable information on how to comply
with its laws and regulations. For more information, please visit the
Department's Compliance
Assistance page.
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