Episode #187: Lisa Kantor

Elle Russ chats with Lisa Kantor - the founding partner of Kantor & Kantor LLP. Lisa is a highly experienced appellate attorney. She handles appeals to the circuit court of appeals and has focused her practice on representing individuals whose health benefits have been denied for treatment of physical or mental illnesses. Lisa has worked on federal lawsuits and administrative appeals regarding health plans that refuse coverage or discontinue benefits for treatment thereby forcing patients to be prematurely discharged. She handles multiple class actions regarding the systematic denials of mental health claims by insurance companies.

In 2007, Lisa achieved the first published decision in California in which the court applied the state's mental health parity law to beneficiaries who sought treatment outside California. In 2012, Lisa obtained the first federal appellate court ruling that health plans in California must pay for all medically necessary treatment for severe mental illnesses, including residential treatment. In 2014, Lisa obtained a parallel state court appellate court ruling, extending coverage for all medically necessary treatment for severe mental illnesses to all residents of California.

Since 2007, Lisa has also been a nationwide advocate for patients suffering from eating disorders and litigating denials of medically necessary treatment for eating disorders. Through Lisa's dedication to her clients, Kantor & Kantor has become the only law firm in the country with a distinct health law practice staffed with attorneys experienced in the specific needs of clients who have been denied benefits for eating disorder treatment.