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WASHINGTON – House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) submitted a comment letter to Department of Labor Acting Secretary Julie Su, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, and Department of the Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen opposing the Tri-Agencies’ proposed mental health parity rules. In the letter, Chairwoman Foxx says the proposed rules are unclear and subjective, do little to expand access to vital mental health resources for patients, and raise premiums.

In the letter, Foxx writes: “The proposed rules exceed statutory authority and add complexity and confusion to already opaque and subjective parity requirements, which will hurt patients. … Additionally, if the Tri-Agencies make it so difficult for virtually all plans to comply with mental health parity reporting requirements, then the Tri-Agencies will find it increasingly difficult to differentiate bad actors from plans that are trying in good faith to comply with parity laws.” 

The letter continues: “The proposed rules far exceed congressional intent in the MHPAEA. … [T]he Tri-Agencies have no business determining the reimbursement rates for providers for the purposes of measuring parity. This is beyond the scope of the law.”

Foxx concludes: “The Committee shares the Tri-Agencies’ goals in improving mental health parity and increasing patient access to mental health services. However, the Tri-Agencies’ efforts to increase mental health parity through these rules fail as a matter of policy. … The Committee looks forward to working with the Tri-Agencies to revise this proposal prior to issuance of final rules.”

To read the full letter, click here.