Bill > SB967

This bill aims to require Medicaid and private insurance providers in Hawaii to cover intravenous ketamine therapy for treating depression, specifically for patients with treatment-resistant depression. The legislation recognizes the state's mental health crisis and finds that ketamine therapy can provide rapid antidepressant effects, with treatment typically conducted in a controlled environment with a psychologist present. The bill mandates that starting January 1, 2026, Medicaid and private insurance policies must cover a percentage of the costs for ketamine therapy, which currently can cost around $700 per session and is considered an "off-label" use by the Department of Human Services. The bill notes that intravenous ketamine therapy increases neuroplasticity more quickly and carries a lower addiction risk compared to nasal spray treatments. To support implementation, the bill includes an appropriation of state funds to the Medicaid program and requires coverage by various types of health insurance plans, including individual and group policies. The legislation is designed to make this innovative depression treatment more accessible to patients who might otherwise be unable to afford it, with the ultimate goal of addressing Hawaii's mental health challenges.

Health and Social Services

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=967&year=2026