WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Rep. Tom Kean Jr., R-7th District, has introduced legislation aimed at strengthening enforcement of federal mental health parity laws by giving the U.S. Department of Labor additional authority to investigate health insurers and employer-sponsored health plans.
The Mental Health Parity Enforcement and Funding Act would authorize the Department of Labor to investigate and hold insurers and plan sponsors accountable for violations of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008. The bill also would extend supplemental funding for the department’s Employee Benefits Security Administration to enforce the law.
“I have always been a supporter of mental health care. During my time in the New Jersey Legislature, I worked to advance mental health parity. I believed in the cause then,” said Kean. “I understand it in a far more personal way now. I am proud to help lead this fight in Congress.”
The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act requires health insurance plans to provide the same level of coverage for mental health and substance use disorders as they do for physical health conditions.
Kean’s office said the congressman advocated earlier this year for restoring federal funding for substance abuse and mental health treatment services after New Jersey organizations expressed concerns about the possible loss of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration grants.
Before being elected to Congress, Kean sponsored legislation in the New Jersey Senate requiring health insurers to provide coverage for mental health conditions and substance use disorders under the same terms and conditions as coverage for physical illnesses. The measure, signed into law in 2019, also requires insurance carriers to submit annual compliance reports to the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance.
The legislation was introduced one day after Kean returned to the House floor and publicly discussed his own experience with depression, describing his treatment and recovery during a speech before Congress.
