Mental Health Parity Act Transition Notices From Nonfederal
Government Plans
MHPA was signed into law on September 26, 1996. The law provides
that employer group health plans and health insurance issuers,
insurance companies and managed care organizations offering mental
health benefits will not be allowed to set annual or lifetime dollar
limits on mental health benefits that are lower than any such dollar
limits for medical and surgical benefits. A group health plan or
policy that does not impose an annual or lifetime dollar limit on
medical and surgical benefits may not impose such a limit on mental
health benefits. MHPA protections do not extend to benefits for
substance abuse or chemical dependency. Also, MHPA does not apply to
any policies sold in the individual market.
A group health plan can claim an exemption from these
requirements if the plan's costs increase one percent or more due to
the application of MHPA's requirements. The interim rules provide a
transition period for compliance with these requirements. No
enforcement action will be taken against a group health plan (or
issuer) that is subject to the MHPA requirements prior to April 1,
1998 solely because the plan has claimed the increased cost
exemption based on assumptions inconsistent with the interim rules,
provided that the plan is amended to comply with the parity
requirements no later than March 31, 1998 and the plan complies with
certain notice requirements.
A group health plan must provide notice to the applicable Federal
agency and post notice at the location(s) where documents must be
made available for examination under ERISA regulations. The notice
must indicate the plan's intent to use the transition period by 30
days after the first day of the plan year beginning on or after
January 1, 1998, but in no event later than March 31, 1998.
In accordance with the above, all nonfederal governmental plans
that wished to use this transition period were instructed to send
their transition notices to: HCFA, 7500 Security Boulevard,
Baltimore, MD. 21244-1850. Our listing contains all of the notices
received; therefore, it is possible some plans listed are not
actually nonfederal governmental plans. This listing has been
updated through April 16, 1998.
ARKANSAS
City of Fayetteville, Fayetteville, AR CEI Engineering
Associates, Inc., Bentonville, AR Clarksville Light & Water
Company, Clarksville, AR Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
(Little Rock Branch), Little Rock, AR Little River Nursing Home,
Ashdown, AR Metropolitan Emergency Medical Services, Little Rock,
AR North Little Rock Water Department, North Little Rock,
AR Stone County Medical Center, Mountain View, AR Sun
Industries, Jonesboro, AR The City of Jonesboro, Jonesboro,
AR The Community School, Inc., Batesville AR Washington
County, Fayetteville, AR White County Courthouse, Searcy, AR
GEORGIA
Georgia Municipal Association, Atlanta, GA Schanen Consulting
Group, Atlanta, GA
IDAHO
Benewah Community Hospital, St. Maries, ID City of Burley,
Burley, ID Franklin County, Preston, ID Franklin County
Medical Center, Preston, ID Minidoka County, Rupert, ID Steele
Memorial Hospital, Salmon, ID Teton Valley Hospital &
Surgicenter, Driggs, ID Wood River Medical Center, Sun Valley, ID
INDIANA
Johnson County Flex Plan, Franklin, IN
MASSACHUSETTS
City of Chicopee, Chicopee, MA City of Taunton, Taunton,
MA City of Westfield, Westfield, MA County of Bristol,
Taunton, MA County of Norfolk, Dedham, MA Everett City Hall,
Everett, MA Medex, North Brookfield, MA Town of Arlington,
Arlington, MA Town of Burlington, Burlington, MA Town of
Framingham, Framingham, MA Town of Needham, Needham, MA Town
of Northbridge, Whitinsville, MA Town of Palmer Flexible Health
Plan, Palmer, MA Town of Southborough, Southborough, MA Town
of Wakefield Group Medical Program, Wakefield, MA Town of
Watertown, Watertown, MA
MICHIGAN
Charter Township of Clinton, Clinton Twp., MI
MINNESOTA
Bremer Financial Services, St. Paul, MN
NEW YORK
Azon Corporation, Johnson City, NY Bricklayers Local #42,
Endwell, NY Cayuga Savings Bank, Auburn, NY County of Cayuga
Employees' Health Insurance, Auburn, NY County Office of
Personnel/Civil Service, Cortland, NY G.C. Hanford Mfg. Co.,
Syracuse, NY Haylor, Freyer & Coon, Inc., Syracuse,
NY Health Care Data Systems, Dewitt, NY Marquardt Switches,
Inc., Cazernovia, NY Schneider Packaging Equipment Co.,
Brewerton, NY Steuben County Government, Bath, NY The Public
Broadcasting Council of CNY, Syracuse, NY Tompkins County
Personnel Department, Ithaca, NY Town of Geddes, Solvay,
NY Wine Merchants, Ltd., Liverpool, NY
OHIO
City of Steubenville, Steubenville, OH
OREGON
Basin Tire Service, Eugene, OR Bob Frink Chevrolet-Geo, Inc.,
Portland, OR Bruce Chevrolet, Inc., Hillsboro, OR Buehner Fry,
Inc., Bend OR Chase Industries, Inc., Durus Div., Redmond,
OR City of Grants Pass, Grants Pass, OR City of Salem, Salem,
OR College Housing Northwest, Portland, OR Cone Lumber Co.,
Eugene, OR Coquille Valley Hospital District, Coquille,
OR Cosgrave Vergeer & Kester, Portland, OR Creswell Care
Center, OR Delon Olds Co., Salem, OR Douglas County Human
Resour ces, Roseburg, OR Dynagraphics, Inc., Portland,
OR Excel Photo, Salem, OR Eugene Water & Electric Board,
Eugene, OR Freelin-Wade Co., McMinnville, OR Godfather's
Pizza, Beaverton, OR Greater Albany Public School District,
Albany, OR Harney District Hospital, Burns, OR H&C
Associates, Beaverton, OR Holgate Center, Portland, OR Holman
Distribution Center of Oregon, Inc., Milwaukie, OR Hood River
County, Hood River, OR Isler & Company, Portland,
OR Jackson County Management, Medford, OR JV Northwest, Inc.,
Canby, OR Kadel's Auto Body, Tigard, OR Klau-Med, Inc.,
Beaverton, OR Lane Community College, OR Linn-Benton Community
College, Albany, OR LTM, Incorporated, Medford, OR Michelbook
Estates, Inc., McMinnville, OR Morse Brothers, Inc., Lebanon,
OR Mt. Angel Beverage, Mt. Angel, OR Mt. Bachelor, Inc., Bend,
OR Mt. Hood Community Mental Health Center, Inc., Gresham,
OR Network Behavioral HealthCare, Inc., Portland, OR Northwest
Christian College, Eugene, OR Northwest Firefighters Relief
Assoc., Lake Oswego, OR OMNI Products, Inc., Portland,
OR Oregon Cherry Growers, Inc., Salem, OR Oregon Health
Sciences University, Portland, OR OSU Federal Credit Union,
Corvallis, OR Platt, Portland OR Public Employees Benefit
Board, Salem, OR Reedville Cafe, Hillsboro, OR Risk
Management, Salem, OR Robberson Ford Sales, Inc., Bend,
OR Rogue Aggregates, Inc., Medford, OR Rundel Products, Inc.,
Portland, OR Shedrain Corporation, Portland, OR Southern Coos
Health District, Bandon OR Sunset Imports, inc., Beaverton,
OR Supra Products, Inc., Salem, OR Toshiba Ceramics America,
Hillsboro, OR Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue, Aloha,
OR United Way of Benton County, Corvallis, OR Update
Management, Inc., Portland, OR Wallace Buick Company, Portland,
OR Widmar Brothers Brewing Co., Portland, OR Willamette
Industries, Albany Paper Mill, Albany, OR
TEXAS
Carrollton-Farmers Branch District, Carrollton, TX
WASHINGTON
Alpha Pest Control, Inc., Vancouver, WA Davis Landscape
Nursery, Vancouver, WA Prime West Mortgage, Inc., Vancouver,
WA Skamania County, Stevenson, WA Vancouver Ford/Hyundai,
Vancouver, WA
WISCONSIN
Cady Cheese, Wilson, WI City of Manitowoc, Manitowoc,
WI City of Rice Lake, Rice Lake, WI Citizens Community Federal
Credit Union, Eau Claire, WI Clothes Clinic, Inc., West Bend,
WI Community Living Alliance, Madison, WI Create-Ability,
Inc., Madison, WI De La Rue Cash Systems, Watertown, WI Eau
Claire, County, Eau Claire, WI Fall CreekValley Nursing Home,
Fall Creek, WI Glenhaven, Inc., Glenwood City, WI Jefferson
County, Jefferson, WI Johnson Matthey, Chippewa Falls, WI Logs
National Servicing Agency, Milwaukee, WI Manitowoc County,
Manitowoc, WI MaraTech International, Wausau, WI Meriter
Health Service, Inc., Madison, WI Milwaukee County Courthouse,
Milwaukee, WI Milwaukee Public Schools, Milwaukee,
WI Northwest Wisconsin HomeCare, Eau Claire, WI Reach, Eau
Claire, WI Robert W. Baird & Co., Inc., Milwaukee,
WI Seaquist Closures, Mukwonago, WI Town of Arbor Vitae, Arbor
Vitae, WI University Health Services, Madison, WI VFW Dept. Of
WI, Madison, WI Village of DeForest, DeForest, WI Wisconsin
Porcelain Company, Sun Prairie, WI
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