The Minnesota Department of Commerce alleges that HealthPartners violated mental health parity laws by analyzing claims for mental health and substance abuse treatment more stringently than other types of care.
According to a May 4 news release, the department fined HealthPartners $150,000 for the violations.
HealthPartners will implement "systemic changes" to improve mental healthcare access, according to the release.
The department alleges that HealthPartners did not adequately justify reimbursement rates for mental health and substance abuse treatments that were lower than reimbursements for comparable medical services.
HealthPartners also denied some coverage for residential mental health treatment before 2018 and reconsidered denied claims for medical and surgical claims more often than denied mental health claims.
"We share the Commerce Department's goal of mental health parity and have agreed on a collaborative path forward to address the department's concerns," a spokesperson for HealthPartners told Becker's. "We look forward to continuing our efforts to make meaningful improvements to mental healthcare and coverage for our members and the community."