New CT Law Holds Insurance Companies Accountable for Denying Coverage

A new law strengthens Connecticut’s mental health parity requirements by holding insurers accountable when they deny necessary treatment, reports the Hartford Courant. The measure permanently bans step therapy requirements for drugs used to treat schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, and bipolar disorder, and prohibits step therapy for certain other conditions such as multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis if FDA-approved alternatives exist. The law also empowers regulators to impose significant financial penalties, ensuring insurers face consequences for creating barriers to care.