Judge: Residential Treatment Claims Against Insurer Fail ERISA, Parity Act Tests

Mealey's (March 22, 2021, 2:20 PM EDT) -- COLUMBIA, S.C. — A self-funded health insurance plan did not abuse its discretion when it denied coverage for residential treatments under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, and its requirement that an individual needs 24-hour care to qualify does not treat mental health care differently than similar surgical and medical care, a federal judge in South Carolina said March 17 in granting the insurer judgment....