Bill > S1276

This bill aims to address barriers to care for mental health. Key provisions of the bill include: 1. Requiring the Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA) to report on annual behavioral health expenditures and costs trends. 2. Expanding the membership and oversight of the Board of Registration of Social Workers to improve representation and regulation. 3. Requiring acute-care hospitals to provide qualified behavioral health clinicians to evaluate and stabilize individuals with behavioral health presentations in emergency departments. 4. Establishing an Office of Behavioral Health Promotion within the Executive Office of Health and Human Services to coordinate mental health promotion and prevention activities across state agencies. 5. Requiring insurance carriers to establish minimum reimbursement rates for primary care behavioral health services that are on par with rates for primary care medical services. The bill also creates a special commission to review ways to increase consumer access to the behavioral health workforce, including addressing workforce shortages and barriers to provider participation in insurance networks.

Budget and Finance, Health and Social Services

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/192/S1276