The departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and Treasury today issued an interim final rule implementing the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act. The 2008 law requires group health plans to offer the same financial and treatment limits for mental health and substance-related disorder benefits as they do for medical and surgical benefits. Under the rule, parity will apply separately to six classes of services: inpatient, in-network; outpatient, in-network; inpatient, out-of-network; outpatient, out-of-network; emergency treatment; and prescription drugs. Also, deductible, copayment and other out-of-pocket requirements for mental health and substance-related disorder benefits must be integrated with those for medical and surgical benefits. Plans beginning between Oct. 3, 2009 and June 30, 2010 are expected to make a "good faith" effort to comply with the law, and plans beginning after that must comply with the regulations, the departments said. The agencies will accept comments on the interim final rule through May 3, after which they will publish a final rule. The AHA plans to submit comments.