NAADAC Signs onto Comment Letter

For Immediate Release - Alexandria, VA

Justin Cohen
Director of Public Relations
800-548-0497 x116

NAADAC-The Association for Addiction Professionals has signed onto a comment letter from numerous organizations calling for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to regard employee assistance plans (EAP) benefits that are deemed as healthcare services to be considered preventive care. Without a preventive care designation, employers offering Health Savings Accounts could only offer these EAPs as high deductible health plans, according to provisions for non-Medicare beneficiaries that were included in the recently enacted Medicare reform legislation.

Under IRS Notice 2004-23, a safe harbor was created for preventive care benefits. The Notice didn't define EAPs as preventive care benefits but it did request comments on whether EAPs should be defined as such. The letter is in response to that request.

According to the letter, "EAPs focus primarily on identification and assessment of an employee's issue or concern and identification and referral to the appropriate resource (be it an organization, facility or program)."

NAADAC President Roger A. Curtiss, notes, "The designation would help protect the accessibility of these key behavioral healthcare and addictive disorder services, which are a cost-effective means of improving workplace safety and employees' health and productivity."

View the complete letter