Oregon Court Rules That Federal Mental Health Parity Law Prevents Blanket Exclusions Of Applied Behavior Analysis Autism Treatment

On August 8, 2014, a federal District Court judge in Oregon ruled that Oregon state law and the federal mental health parity law require Providence Health Plan to cover applied behavior analysis (ABA) for members diagnosed with autism; the ruling clarifies that insurance companies cannot use blanket exclusions for ABA. The ruling was in response to A.F. & A.P. v. Providence Health Plan, a class action lawsuit. The lawsuit was filed by two Providence Health Plan members of an employer-sponsored group health plan who sought ABA for their children diagnosed with autism. The lawsuit challenged . . .