CONNECTICUT — The Connecticut Insurance Department released its 2026 NQTL Annual Report and fined Aetna, Anthem, Cigna, ConnectiCare, and UnitedHealthcare for violating the state's mental health parity law. The action against the five major health insurers operating in Connecticut is the first enforcement under a 2025 state law strengthening parity requirements.

The federal mental health parity law has existed since 2008. In 2025, Connecticut enacted legislation that required insurers to submit annual reports documenting how they treat mental health care compared to physical health care, mandated an analysis of whether insurers apply discriminatory standards to behavioral health, and gave regulators authority to levy fines up to $625,000 per insurer per year.

"The findings make clear there is more work to do, and the Insurance Department will hold carriers accountable through corrective action plans," Governor Ned Lamont said. Attorney General William Tong said insurers are failing to comply with their legal obligations on mental health coverage.

The insurer submissions filed under the new law showed that carriers reimburse mental health and substance use providers at lower rates than medical providers for comparable services. Anthem reimburses masters-level behavioral health clinicians at roughly 75 percent of Medicare rates, while reimbursing medical and surgical physicians at roughly 115 percent of Medicare rates. Cigna reimburses licensed clinical social workers at roughly 72 percent of Medicare rates and orthopedic surgeons at roughly 159 percent of Medicare rates.

UnitedHealthcare's filing acknowledged that it does not compare wait times or provider acceptance rates between mental health and medical providers for parity purposes. Aetna submitted its parity certification with signature fields left blank. ConnectiCare was also among the five insurers cited in the report for parity violations.

The Insurance Department has authority to demand specific reimbursement rate changes and require measurable network improvements. The department can also enforce consequences if targets are not met.