
Discrimination and Parity Violation Claims Levied Against Anthem BCBS of Connecticut
Changes will mean patients will only be covered for psychiatrists’ services that include medical evaluation and management; CPT coding will not allow for coverage of psychotherapy as a separate and equal category for payment.
The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, the Connecticut Parity Law, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, and the Unfair Insurance and Unfair Trade Practices laws are under threat due to the implementation of new Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes by
According to the Connecticut Psychiatric Society, the American Psychiatric Association (APA), and the Connecticut State Medical Society, the CPT changes will mean patients will only be covered for psychiatrists’ services that include medical evaluation and management; the coding will not allow for coverage of psychotherapy as a separate and equal category for payment.
In a
Jacqueline Coleman, Executive Director of the Connecticut Psychiatric Society, added, “We will not allow insurance companies to deny coverage that patients and their employers have paid for, nor will we ask psychiatrists to provide medically necessary psychotherapy for free to insured patients.”1
According to the
References1. APA Calls for Anthem to Stop Discriminating Against Mental Health Patients. APA Press Release. March 14, 2013.
2. Sturdevant M. Anthem Responds To Criticism Over Psychotherapy Reimbursement. Hartford Courant. March 15, 2013.
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