SB 1085 - Mental Health Insurance Coverage

• Expands mental health coverage requirements for individual and group health insurance policies to include specific treatment services such as inpatient hospitalization, detoxification, intensive outpatient services, partial hospitalization, and various therapeutic interventions for children and substance use disorders, effective January 1, 2016.

• Defines "mental or nervous conditions" as mental disorders per the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, excluding intellectual disabilities, learning disorders, motor disorders, communication disorders, and relational problems.

• Prohibits health insurers from placing greater financial burdens on mental health treatment compared to medical and surgical treatment, and allows multiple screening services (trauma, depression, substance use) to be covered in a single-day visit.

• Expands reimbursable mental health providers to include advanced practice registered nurses licensed under chapter 378, in addition to existing eligible providers such as psychologists, clinical social workers, marital and family therapists, and alcohol and drug counselors.

• Requires the Insurance Commissioner and Healthcare Advocate to convene a working group by September 1, 2015, to study and recommend improvements to utilization review procedures for mental health and substance use disorder services, with a report due by January 1, 2016.