State RegulationsCO specificDifficulty 2/5
Under C.R.S. § 10-16-104(5.5) and Colorado Insurance Regulation 4-2-64, coverage for behavioral health conditions and substance use disorders in Colorado policies must be:
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Answer & full 3-part explanation (select an option above, or peek)
Why B is correct
C.R.S. § 10-16-104(5.5), implemented by Colorado Insurance Regulation 4-2-64, is Colorado's mental health parity mandate: coverage for behavioral health disorders and substance use must be no less extensive than coverage for any physical illness. Treatment limits, cost-sharing, and scope may not be structurally poorer for mental conditions. A plan that confines behavioral health to inpatient care or discounts the benefit percentage fails parity on its face.
Why the other options are wrong
- A) Restricting behavioral health to inpatient care would itself violate parity, since physical illness coverage is not so limited.
- C) Parity covers both behavioral/mental health conditions and substance use disorders; limiting it to substance use contradicts the statute.
- D) Parity is an equivalence requirement, not a percentage discount; capping benefits at 70% of physical-illness benefits breaches the mandate.
Memory hook
Mind equals body: no less extensive, no exceptions.