Federal regulators seem to have little hesitancy in asking employer group health plan sponsors to do the near impossible. The near-impossible dream du jour requires employers to certify that their plans comply with mental health parity non-quantitative limitations, or NQTLs. In this episode, Scott and Ed welcome colleague and friend of the show Rory Kane Akers, former DOL mental health parity auditor. Rory breaks down what employers are required to do, why it’s nearly impossible for them to do it alone, and best practices for leaning on carriers and third-party administrators (TPAs) to help. The trio tees up:

• What exactly are non-quantitative treatment limits, and why do the parity rules care?
• Why is Scott so fond of mental health care but not so much the parity rules?
• Why does it matter, when arming itself to satisfy the non-quantitative assessment requirement, whether the employer’s plan is insured or self-funded?
• What are the two (or three) possible responses from carriers or TPAs when asked to help provide the required NQTL analysis, and how do employers respond to each?