Skip to main content
HR 4276 114th Congress House Health Accounting and auditing Administrative law and regulatory procedures Administrative remedies Department of Health and Human Services Department of Labor Department of the Treasury Disability and health-based discrimination Drug, alcohol, tobacco use Employee benefits and pensions Government information and archives Government studies and investigations Health care costs and insurance Health care coverage and access Mental health

Behavioral Health Coverage Transparency Act of 2015

Introduced: December 16, 2015 See on congress.gov
Sign in to write a letter Sign in to watch
This bill died when the 114th Congress ended
It never became law before the 114th Congress (2015–2016) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 4 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Mar 23, 2016
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions.
Dec 18, 2015
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Dec 16, 2015
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Education and the Workforce, and Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Dec 16, 2015
Introduced in House
 Ask about this bill AI · grounded in the bill text

Have a question about what this bill does? Ask in plain English; the answer is drawn from the bill's actual text and official record, and it'll tell you when something isn't in the text rather than guess.

AI answers can be imperfect; always confirm against the full bill text.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Behavioral Health Coverage Transparency Act of 2015

This bill amends the Public Health Service Act, Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), and Internal Revenue Code to direct the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor, and the Treasury to require group health plans and health insurers to disclose the analyses performed to ensure compliance of plans or coverage with the law and regulations. Disclosures must include findings and conclusions regarding whether nonquantitative treatment limitations (e.g., tiered benefits, step therapy, or preauthorization) applied to mental health or substance use disorder benefits are comparable to, and applied no more stringently than, such limitations on medical and surgical benefits.

HHS, Labor, and Treasury must: (1) issue guidance on the process for current and potential participants and beneficiaries to file formal complaints of plans or insurers being in violation of the requirement for parity between mental health and substance use disorder benefits and medical and surgical benefits, (2) conduct audits of plans and insurers to determine compliance with parity requirements and publish information from those audits, and (3) publish information on denials of claims by plans and insurers for mental health and substance use disorder services compared to denials of claims for medical and surgical services.

HHS must establish a consumer parity portal website that allows for submission of complaints and provides information to consumers on parity.

The Government Accountability Office must report on HHS, Labor, and Treasury efforts to enforce parity.
What's happening now March 23, 2016

Referred to the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions.

 Related & companion bills 3
  • HR 4396 Related bill Heroin and Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention and Reduction Act
  • HR 4435 Related bill Comprehensive Behavioral Health Reform and Recovery Act of 2016
  • S 2562 Related bill Heroin and Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention and Reduction Act
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 5
 Cosponsors 7
All 7 Democratic 7
D
Schakowsky, Janice D.
Illinois · Jun 28, 2016
 D
Luján, Ben Ray
New Mexico · Mar 21, 2016
 D
Beyer, Donald S.
Virginia · Jan 6, 2016
 D
Castor, Kathy
Florida · Dec 16, 2015
 D
Clarke, Yvette D.
New York · Dec 16, 2015
 D
Matsui, Doris O.
California · Dec 16, 2015
 D
Tonko, Paul
New York · Dec 16, 2015
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 4276: Behavioral Health Coverage Transparency Act of 2015. 114th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/114-HR-4276/
MLA
"H.R. 4276: Behavioral Health Coverage Transparency Act of 2015." 114th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/114-HR-4276/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 4276, 114th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/114-HR-4276/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 4276: Behavioral Health Coverage Transparency Act of 2015](https://openamerica.io/bill/114-HR-4276/)
Report a problem