HF1677 Summary

• Amends network adequacy standards for health plans to require inclusion of mental health and substance use disorder providers, with the Commissioner of Health establishing sufficiency criteria including provider-to-enrollee ratios, geographic accessibility, appointment wait times, and ability to serve vulnerable populations.

• Requires health plan companies to credential and contract with mental health providers between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2025, if they meet credentialing standards and are accepting new patients, with authority to waive non-quality-related requirements for rural and underserved community providers.

• Mandates that health plans maintain at least the same number of initially credentialed providers from certain entities (community health centers, mental health clinics, essential community providers) that contract to provide mental health services.

• Treats mental health therapy visits and medication maintenance visits as primary care visits for cost-sharing purposes regardless of provider license type, and requires mental health and substance use disorder non-quantitative treatment limitations to be comparable to and no more stringent than medical and surgical benefit limitations.

• Requires the Commissioner of Health to submit a study by January 15, 2024, on additional methods to determine adequate geographic accessibility and network adequacy beyond distance and travel time measures.