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Article: Two exemptions fail to sway mental health 'parity' critics.(mental health benefits parity legislation passed by Congress exempts employers with less than 50 employees and cases where group health plan costs would increase by over 1%)
- Article from:
- National Underwriter Life & Health-Financial Services Edition
- Article date:
- September 30, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1996 Summit Business Media. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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WASHINGTON -- Critics of legislation passed by Congress that mandates mental health benefits parity were not mollified by two exemptions in the proposal designed to ease concerns over increased health insurance premiums.
Congress last week approved the mandated mental health parity provision, as well as language providing for minimum hospital stays for mothers following childbirth, as part of an appropriations bill after a House-Senate Conference Committee agreed to some modest changes.
One change in the mental health parity would exempt businesses with fewer than 50 employees from meeting the mandate, which requires that the annual and lifetime payment ...