Psych-Appeal Alleges Mental Health Parity Violations by UnitedHealthGroup

On March 11, 2013, a federal class action suit against UnitedHealthGroup and its subsidiaries, UnitedHealthcare and United Behavioral Health (doing business as OptumHealth Behavioral Solutions), was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. The suit, brought by the New York State Psychiatric Association and employees of the State University of New York, CBS, and SYSCO, alleges that United routinely violates federal and state antidiscrimination laws protecting critical access to mental health services. The plaintiffs also assert that United applies sham practices to circumvent claims processing and reimbursement rules.

APA Psychiatric News issues alert and case coverage.

View commentary on the suit by Forbes, MedPage Today, and Children’s Mental Health Network.