MA H5019

Requires health insurance coverage for stuttering speech therapy treatment, including both habilitative services (learning/improving skills) and rehabilitative services (restoring lost skills), administered by licensed speech language pathologists

Applies to state employee health plans, Medicaid, individual and group accident/sickness insurance, hospital service plans, medical service agreements, and health maintenance organizations

Prohibits annual benefit limits, visit caps to speech language pathologists, prior authorization requirements, and medical necessity determinations for covered stuttering therapy

Mandates coverage for both in-person and telehealth speech therapy services using HIPAA-compliant technology platforms

Coverage extends to treatment of speech, language, voice, communication, fluency, and auditory processing disorders for both individual and group therapy sessions; effective for contracts entered, renewed, or amended on or after January 1, 2026