Bill

Bill > A5730


NJ A5730

NJ A5730
Requires hospitals to perform psychological and psychiatric evaluations on certain patients and requires health insurance coverage for such evaluations.


summary

Introduced
05/22/2025
In Committee
05/22/2025
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead
01/12/2026

Introduced Session

2024-2025 Regular Session

Bill Summary

This bill requires hospitals to perform psychological and psychiatric evaluations on certain patients and requires health insurance coverage for such evaluations. Under the bill, an acute care general hospital licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.) is to perform a psychological and psychiatric evaluation on a patient, who is being treated by the hospital for a drug overdose, prior to releasing the patient from the hospital. This bill requires health insurance carriers (health, hospital, and medical service corporations, commercial individual and group health insurers, health maintenance organizations, health benefits plans issued pursuant to the New Jersey Individual Health Coverage and Small Employer Health Benefits Programs, the State Health Benefits Program, and the School Employees' Health Benefits Program) to provide coverage for such psychological and psychiatric evaluations.

AI Summary

This bill requires acute care general hospitals in New Jersey to perform psychological and psychiatric evaluations on patients being treated for drug overdoses before releasing them from the hospital. The bill mandates that various types of health insurance providers, including hospital service corporations, medical service corporations, health service corporations, individual and group health insurance policies, health maintenance organizations, and state health benefits programs for state and school employees, must cover these evaluations. These psychological and psychiatric evaluations must be provided with the same level of coverage as any other medical condition. The bill applies to all health benefit plans delivered, issued, executed, or renewed in the state after the effective date, which will be the first day of the seventh month following the bill's enactment. The Commissioner of Health is tasked with adopting necessary rules and regulations to implement this requirement, ensuring that patients who have experienced a drug overdose receive appropriate mental health screening and support before being discharged from the hospital.

Committee Categories

Health and Social Services

Sponsors (1)

Last Action

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Health Committee (on 05/22/2025)

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