HB 955 Summary

• Requires managed care plans under the statewide program to submit annual reports by July 1 describing medical necessity criteria, nonquantitative treatment limitations (NQTLs), and analyses demonstrating that mental health and substance use disorder benefits are not more restrictive than medical and surgical benefits.

• Mandates that insurers, health maintenance organizations, and nonprofit hospital and medical service plan corporations transacting individual or group health insurance must comply with the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA) and related federal regulations.

• Requires insurers to submit annual reports to the Office of Insurance Regulation by July 1 detailing processes for developing benefit criteria, identifying NQTLs, and providing analysis demonstrating parity compliance with MHPAEA.

• Directs the Office of Insurance Regulation to implement and enforce MHPAEA provisions, detect violations, accept complaints, conduct parity compliance market conduct examinations, and issue an annual report to the Legislature by December 31 on compliance methodology.

• Effective date: July 1, 2018.