Political Quotes

“In the letter, Professor Kofman writes: The changes made to the preemption section in S. 558 mean that the current HIPAA federal floor standard would apply to the new Mental Health Parity law (just like it applies to the current law passed in 1996). This would mean that more protective (of consumers) state insurance laws would apply to insurers that sell coverage to employers. This bill would also mean new federal protections for people in self-insured ERISA plans. This would be a tremendous victory for patients who need coverage for mental health services. This approach continues the public policy established in 1996 in HIPAA--an approach that allows states to be more protective of consumers while setting a federal minimum set of protections for workers and their families. If enacted, this bill would provide much needed minimum protections for people in self-insured ERISA plans who currently are not protected by states because of ERISA preemption. It also raises the bar for insured products.”