Bill > S1267

This bill aims to expand access to mental health services in Massachusetts. It does this in several key ways: 1. It requires the Group Insurance Commission to provide coverage for medically necessary mental health acute treatment, community-based acute treatment, and intensive community-based acute treatment, without requiring preauthorization. 2. It expands the definition of "licensed mental health professional" to include a broader range of mental health providers, such as licensed physician assistants, psychiatric nurse practitioners, and alcohol and drug counselors. 3. It streamlines the process for involuntary hospitalization of individuals who pose a risk of serious harm due to mental illness, allowing a wider range of providers to initiate the process. 4. It provides legal protections for providers who transport or admit individuals for mental health treatment in accordance with the law. 5. It exempts certain mobile integrated health (MIH) programs focused on behavioral health services from application and registration fees. 6. It requires insurers to reimburse acute care hospitals for the provision of emergency behavioral health services, including via telemedicine. The bill also establishes a task force to evaluate the financial stability of inpatient behavioral health facilities and address behavioral health workforce challenges. Additionally, it directs a study on the feasibility of a "behavioral health home hospital program" that would provide behavioral healthcare in a home environment.

Health and Social Services

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/193/S1267