August 26, 2011

J.H. v. Blue Shield of California

In August 26, 2011, US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ordered Blue Shield of California to pay for a policyholder's anorexia treatment in a residential treatment facility despite the fact that the policy did not cover that type of setting. The court relied on the language in the California Mental Health Parity Act, which calls on insurers to provide coverage of treatment for mental illness equivalent to coverage for physical illness.