BULLETIN 22-EX-7: ANNUAL SUBMISSION OF MENTAL HEALTH PARITY COMPARATIVE ANALYSES REPORT

BULLETIN 22-EX-7 TO: ALL ENTITIES OFFERING HEALTH BENEFIT PLANS IN GEORGIA

FROM: JOHN F. KING INSURANCE AND SAFETY FIRE COMMISSIONER

DATE: NOVEMBER 29, 2022

RE: ANNUAL SUBMISSION OF MENTAL HEALTH PARITY COMPARATIVE ANALYSES REPORT ____________________________________________________________________________ The Official Code of Georgia (O.C.G.A.) § 33-1-27(b)(4) requires health insurers offering coverage for mental health or substance use disorders as part of a health care plan to comply with Georgia’s Mental Health Parity Act. Insurers subject to the preceding Code section are required to submit data on mental health parity on an annual basis to the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance.

FILING INSTRUCTIONS To facilitate the collection and analysis of mental health parity data, any questions regarding data collection and mental health parity analysis should be addressed to [email protected].

When submitting the comparative analyses report, please include the following in the email Subject line: “Comparative Analyses Report,” data year, Company NAIC Code, and Company Name. For example, the Subject line would be: Comparative Analyses Report, 2022, NAIC Code 12345 – ABC Company.

Submission Georgia Code Due Date Where to send Required Reference GA Office of Commissioner Comparative O.C.G.A. § 33-1- January 1st, 2023 of Insurance Analyses Report 27(b)(4) [email protected]

The following are suggestions for inclusion in the Comparative Analyses Report and resources available:

• Results of Department of Labor (DOL) Self-Compliance Tool (Refer to resources at: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ebsa/laws-and-regulations/laws/mental-health-and- substance-use-disorder-parity); • Identified Non-Quantitative Treatment Limitations (NQTL’s) (i.e., prior authorizations, reimbursement rates, and exceptions to access to non-network providers); • Factors considered in developing NQTL’s; • Experience/expertise of people developing NQTL’s; • Sources and evidentiary standards utilized to identify NQTL’s; • Proof of processes and evidentiary standards used in applying the NQTL’s are comparable and no more stringently applied to Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder (MH/SUD) and Medical/Surgical benefits as written, and in operation.

If you have any questions, please contact the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance by email at [email protected].

______________________________________________ JOHN F. KING INSURANCE AND SAFETY FIRE COMMISSIONER STATE OF GEORGIA