In this episode of the Autism Blueprint Podcast, we’re in the home office speaking with Lisa Gomez, the Assistant Secretary for Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA). Lisa shared valuable insights into how EBSA works to protect the retirement and health plans of American workers and their families.

Throughout the episode, Lisa discussed the mission of EBSA, which is to ensure the security of retirement, health, and other job-based benefits. She highlighted the importance of mental health parity and how EBSA is working to improve insurance coverage and access to treatments and therapies for individuals with mental health and substance use disorders.

Lisa shared heartwarming success stories where EBSA‘s interventions led to the removal of exclusions for ABA therapy in health plans, benefiting thousands of families. She also addressed the challenges faced by mental health providers in accepting insurance due to low reimbursement rates and stringent requirements.

If your family is having difficulty navigating your insurance or if you have an issue that your insurance will not remedy, reach out to EBSA for assistance at 1-866-444-3272

Resources and more information on how to contact a benefits advisor can be found on the EBSA website:

https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ebsa/about-ebsa/ask-a-question/ask-ebsa

Lisa emphasized the agency’s commitment to helping families access the care they need and urged individuals to advocate for their rights and seek help when facing insurance-related challenges.

Lisa Gomez, Assistant Secretary for Employee Benefits Security Administration

Lisa M. Gomez was sworn in as Assistant Secretary for Employee Benefits Security on October 11, 2022. She has deep technical and practical experience in the multifaceted field of employee benefits law and has spent almost three decades representing various Taft-Hartley and multi-employer pension and welfare plans, single employer plans, jointly administered training program trust funds, a federal employees health benefit (FEHB) plan, supplemental health plans, and VEBAs covering employees in a wide array of industries.

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