First Focus on Children submitted the following comment to Commissioner Danny Werfel of the Internal Revenue Service, Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure of the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services, and Assistant Secretary Lisa Gomez of the Employee Benefits Security Administration to comment on the proposed rule, Requirements Related to the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act<\/em>, which would require health insurance companies (private health insurance, including ACA marketplace plans and group employer-sponsored plans) to reevaluate how they cover behavioral health services, their behavioral health provider networks, provider reimbursement, and their prior authorization requirements for behavioral health services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Excerpt from the Comment:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n We agree with the proposed rule that \u201cMHPAEA\u2019s fundamental purpose is to ensure that individuals in group health plans or with group or individual health insurance coverage who seek treatment for covered mental health conditions or substance use disorders do not face greater barriers to accessing benefits for such mental health conditions or substance use disorders than they would face when seeking coverage for the treatment of a medical condition or for a surgical procedure.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\nOur children – and our country – now stand at a crossroads<\/h2>\n\n\n\n