Mental Health Parity Act of 1996: summary of the interim rules relating to group health plans.

The recently released interim rules that govern how group health plans should implement the parity requirement under the Mental Health Parity Act of 1996 (MHPA) are of particular interest to self-funded multi-employer plans. Plans that have not yet been reviewed for MHPA compliance should consider initiating a review as soon as possible. There is no delayed effective date for compliance by multi-employer plans and in addition, a participant or beneficiary could file an action to enforce MHPA's parity requirement.